Black Ice - Trapped in Naruto
by purpleheart3000
Summary: I was just like any other teen... until I was in a car wreck. Suddenly I find myself in the world of Naruto. How in the world did this happen? Did I die? But more importantly, what do I do now? Story originally posted on Quizilla . com, which is now gone. All credit goes to NeverLove. I'm not gonna spoil anything else, go read it yourself! New chapter every other day!
1. Chapter 1

**So, some of you may recognize this story as the one partially posted back in 2009 by NeverLove. I'd like to state right here that this IS that story. I originally read this fanfic back on her Quizilla account (under the username TheAkatsukiLoveMe) years ago. It was the first fanfic I ever read, and I absolutely loved it. I have since kept it close to my heart.**

 **Seven months ago, in October 2014, I visited Quizilla for a reread only to discover with horror that the website had been wiped. All the stories, poems, and quizzes were lost forever. Or so I thought.**

 **Over the last few months, I've been using the internet's Wayback Machine to search for her lost stories. About a week ago, I finally found them. I have tried contacting NeverLove for permission to re-post this story, but have received no response. I am assuming that, since she has not has any activity since 2010, she has left/stopped updating fanfiction . net . In the event that she should read this and want Black Ice taken off my account, I will do so immediately. Until then, I will re-post it here for you all. Without further ado, I present NeverLove's story, 'Black Ice'.**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 1**

I was once an ordinary person much like you. I lived in a house and did ordinary things. I learned to ride a bike at the age of six and that I was a horrible singer at nine.

My life was that of an ordinary person my age. I had boy problems and arguments with my friends. I was upset with my weight and my looks though it as clearly only in my mind.

Of course I had my interests and hobbies as do you and every other person on this Earth. I loved to draw and write stories. Making my character inside my head jump to life on a white sheet of paper and do things I myself could not.

So as you can see, I'm not so different from you now, how you once were in the past, or how you might be in the future. It would not be for quite some time that I was to realize what truly set me apart from every other girl my age…

But maybe I am skipping a bit too far… Yes… I suppose I should start here…

Hello, my name is Morgan Stream and I am fourteen years old. I have one younger brother who does not get along with me. I have two normal parents with hardworking jobs. My two dogs are lazy. My friends call once a week to talk. I have no boyfriend of what to speak. And this is my story.

Black Ice

I opened my eyes at the sharp knock on my door and groaned. My dad's voice was heard through the wood asking loudly, "Are you going to get up or sleep until dinner?!" I rolled onto my stomach and mumbled where he could hear me, "What time is it?" His reply came back, "Noon."

I jerked to my feet and gasped, "Why did you let me sleep in like this!" He opened the door and sighed. Leaning on the wall he answered in a bored tone, "I didn't think you'd _want_ me to wake you up."

I smiled slightly as I shoved him out my door. Glancing at my calendar I notice that it was Saturday and that I was very late…

I slipped into my bathroom and showered quickly before darting to my dresser and pulling my clothes from it. I changed and brushed the tangles from my long blond, highlighted hair. I tied it into a ponytail on the back of my head as I pressed the on button on my internet.

The computer loaded slowly and gave me just enough time to brush my teeth and get comfortable on my bed. I leaned back and pulled the thing into my lap as I logged into my account on a site.

I messed around a while until my mother knocked on my door. She opened it and walked in. "What? Are you already on the computer?!" I smiled slightly.

She set a bowl down on my desk and stated, "I made noodles for lunch so eat up." I smiled and giggled, "You just made instant ramen!" She nodded with her own laugh and exited again.

Well… I did say before that I was late but it was only to check in with my new friends on a site I liked!

Like I said, this was as normal a day as any. It flew by in the usual order - I ate and played on the internet for several hours until the alarm on my cell sang out "Born for This" by Paramore - my alarm for soccer.

I jumped to my feet and changed into my sports outfit before running out of my room and over to where my bag lay in the living room. I yanked on the long soccer socks and shoved the cleats over my feet. The shin guards fit snugly on my legs and I darted back to the bathroom to fix my hair. A simple braid and I was ready!

My mom tossed me a bottle of water as I ran out the door and into my friend's car!

He smiled at me and asked, "Running late?" I nodded and smiled back happily. He revved the engine slightly in his Ford F-150 and we were off!

I had soccer four times a week at the high school I went to. And it just so happened that one of my best friends had football the same nights I did at the same time, so we went together.

The highway was full of rushing cars as we swerved in and out around them. He asked very innocently if I was hungry and I denied seeing as we were already running a bit behind because of traffic.

I trusted this friend with my life and it was the reason I let him drive me and not the other way around. I leaned back in my seat and leisurely looked out of the rearview mirror and gasped.

Just behind us was a tractor trailer and it was gaining fast! The driver was passed out in his seat and was leaning into the gas pedal.

My mind seemed to go into slow motion as I turned my head to look at my friend. He saw my frantic look and was about to ask what was wrong when there was the sharp sound of metal on metal…

I couldn't tell whether or not I screamed then but I reached out and grabbed the wheel from his hands and swerved the car off to the right and straight into a tree… The thing was… I was on the right side…

It felt funny as I watched the tree come at me in such slow motion. I could see my friend scream my name but I heard no sound… I felt no pain as the tree met the truck and blackness surrounded me.

I seemed to float in blackness for a moment as I thought to myself. "Am I dead? Did I die?"

I closed my eyes and sighed a tired sigh as I rested in the blackness. I wasn't quite sure what I was waiting for but I never moved from my spot…

Time might have passed but I wouldn't have known. In fact… I didn't feel anything for quite a while…

Something cold and wet hit my face and I opened my eyes. The thing was… I was most definitely not inside my friend's truck. I was lying under a canopy of trees.

I felt almost as if my eyes were fuzzy and I rubbed them before opening them again. I wasn't seeing things… I most definitely wasn't in a truck and I was most definitely alive.

But the trees above me looked funny… as if I was looking through smudged glasses. I grumbled in my throat as I sat up and felt a strong wave of deja vu.

It wasn't a mirage that only seemed to look odd. These trees seemed to be out of… something I'd read about maybe? I was confused as I sat straight and looked around me.

Just then a voice called out behind me, "What in the world is a kid doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

I turned and looked straight up into the eyes of someone… And then it struck me why everything felt so familiar. I was inside a manga!

I gasped and demanded, "Where am I?!" He didn't look familiar, but I needed to ask all the same.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "The Land of Fire? We're kind of out in the middle of nowhere but that's the country I guess…" I felt shock roll over me. I wasn't just in any manga… I was in the most popular manga in America, Naruto!

The man smiled, "So what's your name then, kid?" I mumbled, "Morgan…" He sighed, "A strange name that is… never heard its like before. Well nice to meet you! I am Kenji Sho!"

His face was something like what girls in my world would drool over saying things like "He's so hot! I wish he was real!"

I nodded up at him and he held out a hand to me, "Come on then. Let's find those parents of yours, they must be worried sick!"

I obeyed and stood using him to pull me to my feet.

I dusted myself off and had an odd thought… If I was inside Naruto then was I an anime character now too?!

I gulped and looked down at my outfit and saw my same of soccer uniform, only in cartoon style. I was amazed at this…

I was inside the world of Naruto… me! Simple, boring, and ordinary me!

But there was the question I needed the answer to as of right now… How in the world did I get here?!


	2. Chapter 2

**It occurred to me that I forgot to write a disclaimer on the first chapter... oh well, better late than never.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Heck, I don't even own this story or Morgan. They belong to the wonderful Morgan, username NeverLove.**

 **... Hope that's good enough. On with chapter 2!**

Recap! My name is Morgan Stream and I am 13 years old. Well I should say that I was…

Just yesterday I was in a car crash on my way to soccer practice and somehow I ended up here, in the world of Naruto. I can't tell you why or how but here I am.

As I said before I should say I was thirteen. You see… well here I go skipping ahead of myself again… Yeah! I think starting here should be fine! We'll continue right from where I left off last time!

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 2**

My hands shook as they gripped my shorts to me. What in the world was going on? Why was I in Naruto? What was happening to me?!

The man named Kenji seemed like a quiet person seeing as he hadn't talked much since meeting me.

We'd been walking for a long time now, maybe several hours. My feet ached and I felt my stomach shrinking tightly in hunger.

I held back my complaints as we continued, but after a while the sun set and my stomach roared in protest.

The man turned and smiled at me, "You hungry, kiddo?"

I frowned and replied, "I am not a kid!"

He smiled, "You're right! You're not a kid… You're a brat!"

Anger coursed through me and he laughed.

"So you hungry then?" he asked with that smile on his face that reminded me of someone…

I nodded as my stomach growled loudly again.

He laughed and turned off of the path at a sign which clearly said 'spa' on it.

Wait a sec! That sign was in Japanese! Why could I read it?!

I gasped and reread the sign as we passed. I knew it said spa but I could also see the symbols; nothing like the American words I was used to.

So many odd things had happened already…

Kenji stopped after a while and turned to me, "We will stay here tonight, Morgan-san."

I frowned, "Thanks… Ke-… Sho-san…"

The man nodded slightly and that strange smile crept over his face as the building came into view.

As we neared the door two women ran out and smiled happily to us. I had to admit… they were beautiful.

Kenji smiled and asked them, "Are there any rooms open for tonight?"

The first girl nodded and replied, "We are close to empty, but you are welcome to stay as long as you like!"

Kenji looked over his shoulder at me and asked, "Do you mind sharing a room with me? I'm low on cash."

I nodded with a smile and followed them inside.

We were being led back to our room when the second girl asked, "Are you two ninja?"

Kenji asked, "Why would you ask that?"

"Your and your friends are both dressed oddly not to be," she replied casually.

Kenji seemed to stiffen as he looked over his shoulder at me. "I suppose we do look the part."

They came to the room and the two of us entered together.

Kenji was watching me carefully as he asked, "So tell me… are you a ninja?"

I gave a shocked looked and replied, "No way! I wish! Ninja are so cool!"

He smirked slightly as he watched me. "Not as cool as we seem."

I cocked my head to the side and asked, "So you're a ninja?"

He smiled that creepy fake smile of his and replied, "Yes I am."

I must have looked excited as I asked, "What village?!" because he narrowed his eyes slightly at me.

"Leaf." He replied. I frowned and sighed, "What rank?"

He stated, "I do not have to tell you that."

I smiled, "I know! If I annoy you please just ignore me! I've never met a real live ninja before!"

His eyes widened and he smiled again. "Sure kid."

I nodded and he tossed me a robe, "Hit the hot springs kid. No telling what you caught sleeping on the ground."

He grabbed his own as he walked out the door.

I looked at it and remember something embarrassing. In Naruto the women went to the spa without bathing suits…

I felt myself blush as I also grabbed a towel. I could wear that in the water…

I walked into the spa room with the spa bath and tucked the towel around me as I stepped into the water. I sat down and relaxed into the heat. I'd never been in anything like this before. I felt myself sink in and I really just let myself go as I drunk in the healthy water.

After a while I stood in my wet towel and walked back into changing room where I got in my kimono like robe and walked down the hall to the room I shared with the man called Kenji Sho.

I walked in to find what appeared to be one of the maid's outfits on the bed.

Kenji had his back to me as he read a scroll. He looked over his shoulder at me and replied, "I asked the maids if they could spare you an outfit while they washed yours." I nodded and walked into the bathroom to change.

I looked straight as the door as I slipped into it and back up to lean on the opposite wall as I relaxed. The wall behind me felt funny and I slid my hand over it. It was a mirror! I could tell by the touch!

I sucked in a rattled breath as I readied myself to see my reflection as an anime character for the first time. I gulped and turned with my eyes closed. With all the courage I had I struck a pose and made myself smile as I opened my eyes to see what I looked like…

I gasped. I was definitely NOT fourteen. I looked at the very least seventeen! And I was really pretty!

I was in shock as I lifted a hand to touch my reflection. Sucking in an awed breath, I walked back out the door.

Kenji flicked his eyes to me to show that he knew I was back.

"Do you think I am pretty, Kenji?" I asked in a very plain matter.

He looked to me in confusion. "Pretty?"

I nodded and took a step closer. He asked, "Um I don't think I know?" he replied in an almost question.

I sighed and stated, "I really like this maid outfit."

He laughed slightly in a very forced manner.

I nodded slightly and looked around. There was a knock at the door and I opened it to see one of the maids standing there.

"Is there anything you would like? Everything comes free with the room rental!"

I thought a moment and looked to my new friend. He shook his head no and I replied, "Do you have any books?"

The girl looked shocked a moment and looked to the other girl who had been standing behind her.

The girl asked, "You want to… read?"

I nodded and asked, "Do you have any?"

The two girls beamed and replied, "We have several actually! What kinds do you want?"

I replied happily, "History please!"

Both the set of girls and Kenji looked to me in surprise.

I smiled as the two rushed away to get me the book.

"You like history?" he asked me.

I nodded, "I know some already but not all that much. Mainly about Konoha."

He looked interested, "Amuse me."

I nodded and raised a finger as I stated, "Well the village was formed when an alliance between the Uchiha clan and the First Hokage's clan made a pact. The leader of the Uchiha clan didn't respond well to this and tried many times to corrupt the clan and persuade them to attack but they refused-"

The man's hand came down over her mouth. "That's enough. How do you know this?"

I smiled, "Research!"

He looked both interested and on edge.

He asked, "Where are you from?"

This was something I'd not considered. I answered easily, "I don't know."

He glared as he demanded, "That is not an answer! What country are you from?!"

I replied, "Not here."

He looked angry, "Tell me!"

I screamed back with tears in my eyes, "I don't know where I am or how I got here! I don't know how to get home! I don't know!"

He looked startled and moved his gaze away from me do the floor. "I think you should come back to Konoha with me."

I looked away and someone knocked at the door. I walked over and opened it to reveal the maids with a set of history books. They bowed and I returned it with a thanks.

I returned and looked though the titles. History of the Ninja… History of the Land of Fire… and several others.

I set to work on the history of the Land of Fire immediately as I moved to a seat beside a lamp.

Kenji looked to me and stated, "I think you should get some sleep. We have a ways to travel tomorrow."

I smiled, "No way! Not when I don't have parents here to make me!"

He looked startled as I jumped into the book.

Normally I would have gone for a work of fiction, but this was Naruto! I could learn so much that no one else in my world knew!

I knew the night was flying by. I watched as Kenji kept a constant watch out of the window at the road almost as if… on lookout.

It struck me as familiar again and I sighed. He was so much like someone I knew of…

I rolled my eyes and thought back in annoyance. He was nothing like Naruto… or any of team 7 for that matter. Nothing like any of the Jounin or Chuunin on the show, Genin either… and then it hit me! He was exactly like Sai! He was an Anbu!

I smirked and stated as I snapped my fingers, "I know why you are so familiar now! You're a Konoha Anbu member!"

His eyes grew wide and he demanded, "How did you figure that out?!"

I knew I was in deeeeeep trouble now… I had let a little too much info slip to the wrong person… oops…


	3. Chapter 3

**Recap to fill a bit of space: Kenji basically arrested me in the name of Konoha and I was DRAGGED to the village, though I would have been just as happy to walk. Either way I was excited.**

 **…** **And so concludes the recap filler… Here we go!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 3**

I was tied up in a roll of rope as Kenji dragged me by a rope as long as a dog leash.

I sighed, "You know, I'd actually prefer to walk."

He didn't respond until I began to squirm in the ropes.

"I don't know how you know all of these things about the village and the ninja there, but until we discover how you are a threat to the populace."

I laughed. Me? Little me who couldn't even throw a kunai in a straight line?

Trust me I'd tried with pencils before. And paper wads. And several other random objects. I have no aim.

Kenji just ignored me as the gates to Konoha came into view.

I gasped. Holy cow I was in KONOHA of all places! SO COOL!

The mountain with the faces of the Hokages were still constructing Tsunade's face, so I realized it was somewhere before Shippuden.

I wiggled inside the rope as he stopped at the gate and the all too famous gate keepers asked, "Who's she?"

I gasped, "You're Kotetsu! Wow!"

He gave me a funny look and Kenji stated, "I need an audience with the Hokage immediately."

Kotetsu nodded slightly and asked, "What about her?"

Kenji cut the ropes and shoved me straight into Izumo.

Kenji smirked. "Welcome to fathers for a day, kohai."

I smiled up at them and cooed, "I know all about you! You guys were so cool in the chuunin exams!" I knew my eyes were all lit up and sparkly.

Izumo asked, "Who are you?"

I smiled, "My name is Morgan, nice to meet you!"

Kotetsu asked, "How do you know who we are?"

I smiled. "I saw the Chuunin exams…" The lie was close enough to the truth!

Izumo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "So um… our shifts up and we're stuck with you so… what do you want to do?"

Good old people who don't know how to turn down a pretty face and a soft giggle…

I wiggled in excitement. "Can we go see the Hokage mountain?!"

They both nodded and looked like they were about to jump off when I shouted, "I'm not a ninja, thank you! I can't do that!"

They both anime fell and sighed, "I guess we're walking…"

I smiled happily to myself as I was led around the village.

I suppressed my glee at seeing all of the houses. It was my dream come true! I was inside Konoha! WAY COOL!

Kotetsu heard my stomach growl and smiled kindly. "I guess a quick detour from the mountain is fine. I'm about to die of hunger too!"

He laughed and Izumo sighed, "I guess it's my turn to pay…"

We cheered at him as I followed the more carefree Kotetsu into… OMG… Ichiraku Ramen!

I wanted to die of happiness.

The old guy asked me what kind I wanted and I replied, "Uh, miso?"

Kotetsu laughed and ordered his own as he ruffled my hair. The three of us were getting along so great now!

That was until a certain unhappy Anbu member appeared again and threw me over his shoulder.

I waved to my two new friends. They waved back with goofy grins. They were way too cool to only be minor characters…

Blame the fan-girl in me for this, but as soon as the Hokage building came into view I squealed.

Kenji sighed. "Calm down or Tsunade will be strict with you."

I giggled as he walked up the stairs with me. I waved to a few startled looking kids and winked.

This was so fun! … Even though I was kidnapped in Konoha by an extremely bossy Anbu ninja.

Kenji knocked on the door and set me down. At her command I darted into the office.

I bowed like a million times. "Lady Tsunade, what an absolute honor to meet you!"

I gasped when I saw Sakura next to her. I hadn't been that big a fan of hers but you'd be surprised what meeting the actual person is like compared to just hating them from a distance.

I wanted to hug her and scream like the fan girl I was.

The woman behind the desk seemed confused. "So this is that 'suspicious girl' you told me about? She just seems like a normal teenager to me."

Kenji sighed, "Tell her what you know about Konoha."

I laughed, "You became Hokage after Naruto and Jiraiya went looking for you, a little after the attack on Naruto by the Akatsuki, and Sasuke was hospitalized because of a Sharingan side effect. At first you didn't want go with them, and you challenged Naruto to see if he could finish his Rasengan in three days. He did it, though it wasn't perfect during the battle when Orochimaru and Kabuto came to request your help in-"

I was cut off yet again by someone's hand over my mouth.

I gulped. Uh-oh…

Tsunade laughed, "You've done your research!"

I smiled. "Yeah, I guess…"

Sakura looked confused, "How do you know so much?"

I looked away and tapped my chin in thought. I needed an excuse NOW.

With relief I stated, "I really don't remember… when I woke up I had no memory of being in the Land of Fire."

Sakura frowned, "Amnesia?"

Tsunade nodded, "Must be. Well then, we have no choice. Sakura, can you find a place for Morgan to stay a while? Preferably with someone."

I was SO ecstatic.

Sakura led me out of the door and down the stairs to where my two new buddies were waiting for me.

"Kotetsu! Izumo!"

They waved happily and Sakura asked, "Can either of you take her in a while?"

Both looked sorry, "I just don't have the room…" Kotetsu stated scratching the back of his head.

Izumo stated, "My distant family is visiting, so maybe after they leave."

Sakura nodded her thanks and the group of four including me walked down the street attracting attention.

Of course three ninja and a girl in weird clothes would attract attention… DUH.

So Sakura walked up to an estate I thought looked familiar. I gasped as Shikamaru's dad opened the door.

Ten minutes later the situation was explained and he nodded, "We have room. She can stay with us a while."

I wanted to cheer. Even though Shikamaru was kinda dull, I was excited!"

Sakura and my two older friends left and I was ditched with Shika's dad alone until either Shika or his mom got back from doing stuff. We sat in awkward silence as we waited for them to arrive.

After a while the man asked, "Want to play Shogi?"

I sighed slightly and stated, "I don't know how to play…"

He gave me a funny look and said, "I can teach you."

-1 hour later-

He laughed, "You lose again!"

I sighed, "Checkers is so much easier!"

He looked confused. I smiled, "I can teach you."

We ended up using rocks we found in the yard and drawing the board on paper. Aren't we creative?

I was using the black rocks and he was using the white ones.

He laughed, "I win!"

I sighed, "How is it that even on my terms you win?"

He laughed and ruffled my hair as a confused boy's voice asked, "Who's she?"

I turned and saw none other than Shikamaru himself. I gasped and stood, "Wow! You're Shikamaru Nara!"

His dad sighed, "And what does that make me?"

I laughed nervously and replied, "Shikamaru's dad?" He face-palms and I laugh.

Shikamaru asked, "Well you know me but who are you?"

His dad laughs slightly and stated, "Your new sister!"

Shika looked annoyed and turned to walk away until his dad shouted, "Morgan has amnesia and can't remember anything about herself other than her name."

Shika looked interested, "Really?"

I nodded hesitantly and his eyebrows rose, "Interesting…"

His dad stated, "You two will be sharing a room until Morgan can find her own place!"

We both anime fell. "WHAT?!"

~Tsunade POV~

I watched as Sakura led Morgan away.

"Kenji?" I asked. The man nodded as he waited. "I want you to research that girl. I have a feeling you'll find something."

Kenji nodded, "I have this feeling I've seen her face somewhere before."

I nodded, "Exactly… I feel the same."


	4. Chapter 4

**Bah, it's raining like crazy and my power keeps going out. Hope this chapter makes it okay.**

~*~*~ **Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 4**

Shikamaru and I both gasped at his dad, "We have to do what?!"

I glanced to the boy and then to his dad.

The man laughed, "That's the only space we have for you, Morgan! Shikamaru doesn't mind!"

I smiled slightly and Shikamaru stated, "Troublesome is all it is…"

I rolled my eyes with a grin. The fan girl in me was wearing off at the mere thought of spending the night… in Shikamaru's room… *cringe*

The man laughed loudly and a woman walked out onto the porch.

She asked, "Who is this, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru stated, "Some girl with no memory that is apparently staying with us."

The woman looked excited beyond measure. "That sounds wonderful! What is your name, miss?"

I replied as I watched that kinda creepy smile on her face grow, "My name is Morgan…"

She squealed, "I don't believe it! Shikamaru finally gets a girl and she's so pretty! I'm amazed!"

I took a step back, and in my clumsiness I fell off of the porch and into a pond…

Shikamaru sighed, "Troublesome girl."

He mom and dad were laughing at me as I pulled myself back up onto the porch and coughed.

Stupid water.

-a bit later-

I sat in Shika's mom's old kimono dress. I looked down at the noodle-like food we were eating and back to the chop sticks in my hands.

I groaned and was asked, "Is something wrong?"

I gulped and waved my hands in the 'no way' sign and stated, "Nothing at all!"

Shikamaru sighed, "So you don't know where you came from?"

I nodded, "No idea."

He sighed and pointed to the chopsticks. "But you didn't use those, correct?"

I blushed at my stupidity and nodded, "I don't know how to work them."

His dad burst into tears as he laughed at me.

I glared and stated, "I managed to cheat at Ichiraku's."

Shikamaru sighed and asked, "What did you eat with?"

I frowned, "A fork."

They gave me a funny look and handed me one.

"Thank you."

I didn't even know they had forks in Naruto…

-a little more later-

Now it was late and I was exhausted. "Must not sleep…" I muttered as I dropped down on the cot beside Shika's bed.

He sighed and looked out of the window.

I sighed as well and asked, "What's wrong?"

He gave me a look that clearly said 'Whoa how'd she know something was wrong?'

I smiled and tapped my forehead. "I may be sucky sports and ninja stuff, but I've always been pretty good at reading people."

He nodded and looked back out of the window. "I have a strange girl in my room acting like I'm her best friend."

I smiled kindly and replied, "What do you want me to tell you about yourself?"

He looked confused.

I grinned, "You and Choji have been best friends since you were kids. You became best friends on a rooftop where you went to watch clouds. He decided to watch with you and you shared chips and, well, best friends ever since."

He looked at me funny and I laugh. "I don't remember how I know but I do."

He looks back out of the window and lay down in his bed and, as far as I could tell, fell asleep.

I, on the other hand, lay quietly and waited for the night to pass by so I could get back up and explore.

I heard a slight shuffle a few hours later as Shikamaru left the room and walked down the hall. I rose up in curiosity and followed him.

He snuck outside and to the side of the house where he ninja jumped onto the roof.

I groan… I need to learn how to do that…

Instead I looked around and find a ladder. Why I don't know, but it was there…

I leaned it up against the side of the house and climbed up.

Shikamaru looked at me funny as I struggled to pull myself up the last two feet and onto the roof.

I gasp, "Help, please! No upper arm strength!"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me up onto the roof where I collapsed on my back breathing hard.

He sighed, "Well you're definitely not a ninja…"

I smiled and lay back beside him and stared up at the stars.

I felt shock roll over me. The night sky here was amazing… so different from the one back home.

I gasped up in awe and he asked, "What? Never took the time to see the stars?"

I mumble back, "Never so clear like this…"

He leaned back so our shoulders were touching as we talked and he pointed out constellations.

~Shika's POV~

I looked over after Morgan got all quiet to find her fast asleep… and on a roof to make that worse.

I sighed and stood as I picked her up and jumped back down to the ground before walking back to my room with her.

I placed her easily in her cot and left to go continue staring at the stars, waiting for the clouds to form. At least she wasn't another Ino.

~My POV~

I awoke to the smell of eggs and walked into the kitchen, still kinda groggy.

Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen and his mom had only made enough for the two of us.

I ate all of mine and she looked excited. "Why don't we go shopping for clothes today, Morgan?!"

I backed away slightly. I know this lady never had a daughter but she was creeping me out…

I managed to run away as fast as I could into the village.

But then I realized something… I was in a nightdress and lost in the streets of Konoha.

I screamed loudly and several people walking by stopped to stare.

I was pretty sure I was about to die of embarrassment as Izumo and Kotetsu appeared in poofs of smoke and grabbed my arms before poofing me off somewhere else.

We ended up in a house that I had most definitely NEVER seen before.

Kotetsu smirked and asked, "So Shika's mom scared you away, eh?"

I blushed and tried to cover as much of myself as I could until Izumo appeared with a new set of clothes.

I grabbed them and rushed away to change.

That was SO embarrassing…

-a little later-

We were walking through the village and people were pointing at me and muttering, "I heard she was dancing in the street this morning in sleepwear…"

I groaned and the two with me laughed.

I smiled when I saw Kakashi for the first time.

He looked from me to Kotetsu and Izumo and waved to us.

I waved back and smiled.

Kotetsu stated, "This is Kakashi, though I'm sure you know him!"

I smiled, "Yeah a little."

I mumbled rather quietly. "I know how you got your Sharingan…"

He looked shocked and frowned. I looked up at him, "Don't ask me how I know but I do."

He looked at my face and sighed, "I have to say, you look really familiar…"

I frowned, "Um? We haven't met though."

He frowned, "Not like that. It's like I've seen your picture before."

I asked, "Where?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, "I can't remember."

I frowned. "I wish you could… I can't remember anything."

I earned myself two strong thumps on the back for that one and out of nowhere Shikamaru was there.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei, I have a favor to ask."

Kakashi looked interested, "I'm sure I can help, go on."

Shikamaru pointed to me and stated, "Please teach her the basics of the ninja, before she falls off a roof or something."

With the remembrance of that I blushed. I'd passed out on a roof with Shikamaru… Oops…

Kakashi smirked, "Sure."

I was ecstatic. "I'M GONNA BE A NINJA! ME! LITTLE NOTHING SPECIAL! ME!"


	5. Chapter 5

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 5**

Training turned out to be sucky. Figures, with my luck lately…

Kakashi led me into the academy and made me sit through a child's lecture on chakra and how to use it.

To be completely blunt, I had no idea what to do.

Kakashi led me outside and sat me down. "Now simply try to summon some chakra from inside you."

I groaned as I pressed my hands together like the people on TV did and grunted.

Nothing happened.

And so the day went on as I failed at ninja life. By the end of the day I was ditched at Shikamaru's again by an annoyed Kakashi.

"This kid is going to kill me." was all he said as he left.

Shikamaru asked, "How did it go?"

I rubbed the back of my head and muttered, "I couldn't even summon any chakra."

He sighed and called over his shoulder to his father, "I am taking Morgan to the training grounds for a few hours. I'll be back in time for dinner."

I tried to escape past him into the house to escape the wrath I know knew was called 'training'. Right then I would have gladly traded a shopping spree with Mrs. Nara than train…

After a short trek to the grounds, Shikamaru sat me down in the woods and leaned back on a tree as he looked up to the sky.

"So you couldn't summon any chakra eh?"

I nodded in shame. People on TV made this look so easy, but this was harder than learning to ski. And TRUST me, that was HARD.

He sighed, "I guess you just haven't found your motivation."

I looked at him and he stated, "If you follow everyone's tendencies to train, a boy named Lee should show up here in ten minutes. Ask him to help."

My fan girl inside screamed out at the opportunity to meet one of the guys I had always kinda wished I had an older brother like! I have several of those actually, Lee being one and Kotetsu being another.

Shikamaru continued to sit and wait with me until Rock Lee entered the clearing.

Shikamaru waved a hand at him and shouted lazily, "You have a second, Lee?"

The boy looked from me to him but nodded slightly.

Shikamaru pointed to me and sighed, "I was wondering if you might be able to train her. She can't figure out how to use chakra… I thought you could help."

Lee looked excited, "You must be Morgan! Sakura told me about you earlier when I saw her. My name is Rock Lee!"

I nodded and stood and walked over to him.

He grinned happily and looked me over, "You are so full of the look of youth!"

I had a MAJOR eye twitch moment but shoved it away.

"Can you teach me?"

He asked, "Do you promise to do whatever I say?"

Now I would like to point out here… I made a BAD mistake… I said yes…

-30 minutes later-

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" I screamed as I ran like a mad man away from Lee.

He chased me with a green outfit like the one he used to wear in his hand. "But it will be so much easier to move around in!"

He'd been chasing me for thirty minutes straight trying to get me to put it on.

I screamed, "I WON'T WEAR IT!"

Thank goodness I was in running condition thanks to soccer… oh wait… soccer was WHY I was in this predicament… I got into that crash on my way to practice… DANG IT!

I screamed, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Abruptly I shoved past someone in the street on my way. I hadn't meant to but then that person grabbed the back of my shirt and yanked me back to face him. I gulped. Why in the world was I such a clumsy person?

Facing me down and glaring in my face was Neji Hyuga.

I grimaced and muttered, "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!"

I looked down at what he was wearing and wanted to laugh.

He was apparently only a chunin now and there he stood… In a ninja vest and green pants. I had to say, the look did not suit him.

I nearly died laughing and he set me down.

And there came Lee with that outfit.

"OH CHEEZITZ!" I screamed as I hid behind Mr. Poorly-dressed.

Lee ran right past me and I let out a sigh of relief.

Neji asked, "Who in the world are you?!"

I frowned at his tone and backed away. "I'm uh… well… I'm…"

A voice called, "Morgan! Where are you? Shikamaru is getting worried! Where'd you go?"

I groaned at the sound of Sakura's voice. How the heck she figured I was missing I'd never figure out.

Neji asked, "So your name is Morgan, then?"

I gulped and waved my hands in front of me in a rapid "no".

Neji was glaring like he was gonna kill me and I knew VERY well he wasn't going to just chase me through town.

*gulp*

I turned and screamed, "SAKURA!"

Neji had to cover his ears and growled at me as Sakura came into view.

She smiled to Neji and thanked, "So she was with you? I was worried for a while there. She doesn't exactly have the abilities to keep herself out of trouble…"

I gulped as Neji placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Actually… Morgan, here just agreed on eating at my place tonight."

I gulped… I was in SO much trouble.

Sakura looked stunned, "Really? Well I'll tell Shikamaru… But you should be back at his house by nine. He's supposed to watch out for you."

I nodded and rubbed the back of my head as Sakura left me to my punishment for running into a certain angry Hyuga…

I gulped.

He stated, "I'm not going to attack or anything."

I reply shakily, "Do you know how scary you are when you're angry?"

Neji looked annoyed, "Who said I was mad?'

"I did."

DANG I JUST DID IT AGAIN! GYAH!

So this was just about the time I took off running through the streets. His footsteps could be heard behind me.

And then there was Lee's added in, "There you are Morgan! I was looking for you!"

I kept on running like my life depended on it, which I had the feeling it did.

And of course, me with my lack of balance, I tripped over thin air and landed on ANOTHER person.I glanced up to see an incredibly angry Kiba.

I whimpered, "Uh-oh…"

So there I was. Running like my life depended on it from THREE lethal ninja… They clearly didn't seem to feel like speeding up to catch me.

Of course I was tired because of my lack of ninja skills, and of COURSE I hadn't memorized what every street was like. Who could? It was a maze here!

So of course I ended up cornered in an alley with one of my many bad turns. Neji was there first and slid to a stop.

I gulped as he stepped closer and Lee grinned, "I promise that this outfit will help you learn!"

Kiba was cracking his knuckles and I was just whimpering when SOMETHING flew out of nowhere on a VINE of all things like TARZAN and swooped me up and into the air before landing on the building.

I was thrown over their shoulder so I couldn't see their face and they started RUNNING on the roof tops.

I screamed and latched on around my rescuer's torso upside down as I almost fell.

His arm held my legs still so I wouldn't drop as we jumped over buildings.

The others were following and the voice of said savior ninja stated, "Hold on!"

I gripped tightly and he jumped down off of the building, and somehow I ended up in a garbage can on the bottom with said ninja crushing me from above, a lid covering us.

I heard the other people's feet fade into the distance and our trash can tipped over.

He was out first and I rolled out still dizzy and confused. I looked up and into the eyes of before listed mysterious ninja. I let a breath of relief go.

"Shino!" I breathed in relief.

He nodded and asked, "You alright?"

I nodded like he had and he stuck a hand out to help me up. He pulled me up and I found a buggy on my hand.

I was perfectly fine with bugs as long as they weren't huge, spiders, or something with pincers. This one was a beetle.

I giggled and asked, "Why did you save me?"

He looked away and stated, "Several reasons."

I nodded, "Reason number one?"

He stated, "You were being ganged up on."

I asked, "And?"

"And you aren't a ninja."

I continued playfully, "And?"

He answered, "And I knew that Hinata and her family were all on missions so there was no way Neji could have you over to eat."

I demanded, "You were eavesdropping?"

He sighed, "No, you were talking very loudly in my ear shot."

I laughed and looked around, "Where are we?"

He shrugged, "Dunno."

I facepalmed. "What? But you've lived here who knows how long!"

He sighed, "I don't normally come to the Uchiha Compound."

I wanted to fan girl squeal. I was inside the compound! CHEA!

Shino saw the excited look on my face and sighed.

"We had better get to Shikamaru's before the others come back." I nodded and started to walk when he stopped me.

"We are thirty minutes walk from his house."

I groaned at my shaking legs from running earlier and he turned his back to me and knelt down. I was confused as I asked, "What are you doing?" He sighed very evenly in a very patient tone, "Get on my back so we can go."

I went blood red and carefully did as I was told. He gripped my legs to him and shot off onto the roofs again.

I screamed and wrapped my arms around his eyes/glasses where I knew he couldn't see, but was too petrified to move them.

He cursed before he was able to let his bugs out to guide him and we topple OFF A ROOF and into none other than the searcher squad AKA Kiba, Neji, and Lee.

I released Shino's eyes as Kiba shouted, "What are you doing here, Shino?!"

Shino grunted as I rolled away and took off at a dead run.

"Bye, Shino! I'll see ya!"

I heard several people running after me but I suddenly had the terrific urge to go swimming and jumped into *ahem… cough. Fell. Cough.* into a tub of water by someone's house.

Worst part yet, now I was good as caught… Great…


	6. Chapter 6

**Bah, 5 chapters in and I've already missed an update. Thank the storm that hit on Thursday, knocking power out for two days and preventing the update. Anyway, posting 2 chapters as an apology and to get back on schedule :)**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 6**

I glanced up at the people now towering above me and grimaced.

Neji sighed, "If you would have just calmed down you would realize none of us are mad at you."

Kiba frowned, "I am! She ran into me!"

Neji sighed again, "She ran into me too, but she was hiding from Lee."

Lee looked confused, "What about me?"

I took this chance to slip away between the buildings and, to my utter relief, I found myself in front of Shikamaru's house.

I let out a huge breath and charged through the door and into them eating food.

I shouted at Shikamaru, "You left me to be abducted by LEE! WHY?!"

Shika sighed, "I thought he could help you."

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"I am going to bed. If any of the Searcher Squad Officials show up, tell them I went to shop for clothes. I am NOT here."

Shikamaru sighed, "Wrong hall."

I felt a wave of heat wash over my cheeks as I spun around and walked in opposite direction, down the right hall.

I opened Shikamaru's door and found, to my surprise, Kotetsu sitting in the window and Izumo sitting cross-legged on my cot.

When they saw me they both grinned.

"Morgan! We found a way to help out with your training!"

I gave them a quizzical look as they tossed me what I thought to literally look and smell like crap.

They smirked, "We bought some soldier pills for you!"

I grimaced at the things but stuck one in my mouth. They smirked as my eyes widened.

I spat it out and gagged. "What the heck?!"

Izumo sighed, "They aren't supposed to taste GOOD."

I rubbed my tongue against the end of my shirt in disgust.

Shika walked in and sighed, "Don't you people know that it's rude to enter people's houses without permission?"

Kotetsu smiled and nodded, "Just wanted to give these to Morgan!"

He grabbed Izumo's arm and the two poofed gone.

Shika sighed and stated, "Your food's in the kitchen beside the sink."

I nodded as he walked away…

~Kenji Sho~

He stood in front of the files with a hand fluttering over the pages as he scanned for something specific.

This had been bugging him a while now and he was just looking into it.

Something about the girl he'd found in the woods was familiar.

He knew it wasn't the name… that was so far foreign to him he doubted it was from anywhere near here.

But it was more her face that seemed to bug him. There was something odd about that face…

He shoved a folder back into the cabinet and dropped into a metal chair to think.

He had been going through lost child records for a while now, but none registered as this girl to him.

Several missing in action ninja folders had been gone through in search as well.

He just could not understand how this girl was so familiar to him.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock at the door and it opened to reveal a familiar shadow.

"Kakashi-sempai…" he sighed as Kakashi shut the door behind him.

"Any luck with finding something?" Kakashi asked.

Kenji frowned, "Nothing…"

Kakashi leaned back against a shelf and opened his book more for appearances than for actual reading.

"There's been something on my mind, Kenji…"

Kenji looked up into the man's face and asked, "What, Sempai?"

Kakashi closed the book with a snap and stated with a tiny hint of malice in his tone, "I've most definitely seen that girl's face before."

Kenji gulped as he went on.

"Though for some reason only her face rings a bell. I was thinking this through during her training. She wasn't able to summon any chakra, and my Sharingan couldn't pick up anything familiar either."

Kenji asked, "So you think we just saw her on a mission somewhere?"

Kakashi shook his head no. "No, I've only seen her face… I'm sure of it."

Kenji asked, "Then what do you suppose we do?"

The white haired ninja replied very calmly, "I want to check a certain…category…of files… alone…That is, if you don't mind, Kenji."

Kenji waved his hand as we walked towards the door, "Just let me in on what you find, Sempai."

Kakashi nodded, "Right."

The black haired man left the building.

Kakashi turned to the files and shrugged to loosen his shoulders, "I hope I'm wrong."

~Morgan~

The next morning I was woken up at an insistent pounding on Shika's door.

I groaned lightly and Shika muttered, "Keep your face down."

I covered it up, guessing he was trying to get dressed as fast as he could as he moved for the door.

In my family back home, you got used to stuff like this. But it was WAY too early to be up, in my opinion.

Shika's door burst open and a familiar voice growled, "You are STILL getting ready, Shikamaru?"

Choji sighed, "I know it's early but Ino insisted and…"

He trailed off as he saw me sitting up on the cot with the blanket wrapped around my shoulders and neck to keep me warm.

His eyes went wide and he grabbed Ino's arm.

She hadn't seen me yet and was still nagging Shikamaru as Choji grabbed her.

Ino sighed, "What is it now Choji?"

He simply dragged her from the room with a shocked and confused look at Shikamaru, then a wide and awed gaze to me.

Shikamaru seemed confused as Choji slammed the door shut behind him.

I felt my cheeks heat up and muttered, "Oh crap."

Shika looked to me and I gasped, "Choji thinks we…"

He seemed to register this and choked on air.

"CHOJI!"

He ran from the room and left me to very quickly jump into day clothes and ran out after him.

Shikamaru had stopped Choji in the hall as he'd tried to drag Ino out.

Ino looked confused, "What in the WORLD is going on?!"

Choji muttered, "I didn't mean to see her, I swear!"

Ino looked bewildered and Shikamaru gasped, "You have it wrong! She has to stay with me for a while on orders from the Hokage! My parents are remodeling and she has to stay in my room!"

Ino then saw me and gasped, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?! WHO IS SHE?!"

I sighed. I knew she was an over reacting type but HOLY CHICKENS!

Shikamaru went through the explanation and before long BOTH understood the situation.

I sighed and stated, "My name is Morgan, nice to meet you." They both nodded.

Shika's mom walked by and cooed, "I have your breakfast Morgan-chuu!"

I groaned as I was literally dragged away by the ecstatic woman.

At the table, the food was shoved into my mouth like it was going out of style, and I was roughly shoved out the door and into someone's back.

I looked up and into the eyes/glasses of Shino and grinned.

"Hiya there!"

He sighed and stated, "I heard about your chakra problem and decided on helping a bit."

I grinned, "How?"

He spoke very calmly, though if you listened ever so carefully you could hear the excitement in his dry voice. "With my bugs."

I could have anime screamed. No not the bad kind. Actually I was kind of excited! I'm not the biggest bug fan but hey, it's not everyday you get to try and become a ninja… though it was becoming a bit… well… daunting in my opinion. It's A LOT harder than it looks.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, in case you missed the memo, this is part of a double update making up for the day my power was out. Make sure you read chapter 6!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 7**

The place where Shino finally stopped was basically desolate.

The place was consumed by boulders and rocks, with no signs of life anywhere.

Shino stated, "With as few distractions as possible, both you and my bugs can focus on the objective."

I nodded and smiled in excitement, "I am so ready."

He nodded again and stated, "Please sit cross-legged on the ground with your hands in the tiger position."

I did as I was told and concentrated.

"Now hold perfectly still. These insects are rather touchy."

I felt the tiny prickles of tiny legs on my arms and legs as they settled.

Shino stated, "I will now begin. Please feel where the chakra is coming from within, and then push more chakra out if you can."

I nodded and felt tiny bites as the chakra bugs sucked ever so carefully.

I relaxed and tried to memorize the feeling of chakra being pulled.

It hurt, but I kept my concentration on track. I smiled as I got the feel for releasing chakra.

I clenched my hands together as I concentrated.

"Loosen your grip. It will muffle your chakra."

I grinned ever so slightly and, where the insects sucked, I gently pushed at my chakra.

I felt a strange sensation in my arms and legs as I did so. To me, it tickled. Much like when you rub your fingers lightly over the inside of your arms so it tickles.

I smiled at the feeling and pushed more and more out.

My eyes relaxed into this and I laid back into the ground and just fell into the sensation as I poured it out.

I felt Shino's hands grip my shoulders and shake me quickly to pull me from my trance.

He was completely serious as I opened my eyes and stopped the pull.

I groaned into the new pain and looked down. There were several tiny dots of blood on my arms from where I had sent out the chakra.

Shino stated, "Remarkable."

I was confused as he lifted my arm to examine.

"I would never have thought…" he trailed off.

I finally demanded, "What's going on? Why am I bleeding?"

He stated very firmly, "You sent chakra in the exact shape of my insect's bites out in tiny needles, something that would take a normal person a long time to master."

I looked at his masked face with nothing but confusion on my face.

He picked up my arm again and muttered, "Curious…"

Then, without any warning, he slung me over his back and jumped into the air.

I gripped onto him and screamed. He sighed and jumped faster into the town.

He landed in front of the Hokage mansion and let me down.

"Tsunade-sama needs to hear this."

I nodded and followed him inside.

He knocked on the door and she told us to enter.

Shino explained exactly what happened and looked to me.

"Show her."

I frowned, "What will happen if I can't wake back up?"

Shino didn't answer, but I sat anyway.

I rubbed my fingers over my arm. I still remembered the sensation of releasing chakra. It had felt so nice…

My hands pressed lightly together and I pushed it out. To me it felt more like pulling a plug keeping it in and just letting it flow out through the openings.

I relaxed again into the sensation and pushed it out just as before.

This time, however, I held it back some to keep from drifting off.

I concentrated on this and let it flow.

I felt Shino's hand on my shoulder and stopped it.

I looked up into Tsunade's almost… confirming look on her face, like she knew something. I frowned as she stated, "Please take her home, Shino. Let her rest."

Shino nodded and grabbed my arm.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

With a nod I follow him through the town and back to Shika's house.

Shikamaru was sitting on the porch with an astonished look as Shino and I appeared.

"So that's where you went, Morgan."

I nodded and Shino looked to me.

"Stay here until Tsunade calls for you. I have that feeling that she will."

I nodded and he left.

Shikamaru asked, "What in the world happened?"

I stated, "I used my chakra… and something odd happened, I suppose."

He gave me a funny look and followed me back inside his house.

~Kakashi~

He stood looking into a folder with a small frown under his mask.

He had found his answer.

"I must tell Tsunade-sama..." He bent his knees and clutched the papers to his chest as he poofed away.

~Morgan~

I really began to feel that chakra gone missing in the bath. I soaked long and reheated the water every now and then.

Shikamaru leaned against the door outside. I knew he wanted to know more, but I kept silent.

I eventually got out and dried. I pulled on some clean clothes and sighed. "I'm coming out now."

I walked out and straight into his questions.

"What did you mean something odd? What happened?"

I frowned and stated, "Shino said that I… used my chakra in a way that most people wouldn't be able to do without a lot of training."

He sighed, "Some people are special like that. You must be one of those."

I nodded, unconvinced. "Must be…"

He sighed, "Don't get all depressed. It's annoying."

I smiled, "You're right. I should be more excited! This means I can be a ninja now!"

Shikamaru smiled slightly, "You are such a drag!"

I laughed and he joined in.

We both beamed at one another as we walked off down the hall for lunch.

~Tsunade's office~

Her hands shook as she examined the file.

"You are right, Kakashi… You are 100% correct. We have found her…"

Kakashi frowned down to his feet and muttered, "I hoped I was wrong."

Tsunade cursed as she hit the table, "I can't believe this!"

Kakashi mumbled slightly, "What are your orders?"

She stated, "Wait until midnight. Then, attack."


	8. Chapter 8

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 8**

Shikamaru and I ended up having to cook for ourselves, seeing as his mom had decided to go shopping. We ended up having to make instant ramen since there wasn't anything else that didn't involve a frying pan and fire. We both flinched at the thought of 'cooking', so we sat at the table laughing as we ate the ramen.

Shikamaru asked, "So what kind of chakra nature do you have?"

I frowned, "I don't really know."

He smiled slightly. "I don't really know where we can get a hold of the paper, but I can ask Asuma-sensei."

I nodded with a small grin.

He asked, "So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

I frowned and sighed. I tapped my fingers against the table, then smiled.

"How about we-"

A loud knock on the door interrupted mer.

We both answered it and saw Kotetsu and Izumo standing there, beaming.

"Hey, you guys up for a movie?"

I smiled and looked to my host. He seemed willing enough.

We ended up going to see an action movie.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time since it was a ninja movie, but the others seemed rather bored.

We left and the two asked, "What now, Morgan?"

I frowned, "How about dinner?"

It was actually kind of late now, and the three of them looked annoyed.

"How can you eat so much? Popcorn, candy, and now supper too?"

I smiled and they returned it slightly.

We ate at some random restaurant which served soup.

I asked them what was in it and Shikamaru stated, "Um… chicken."

Kotetsu muttered, "No it's not! It's-"

He was cut off by Shikamaru muttering under his breath, "Shh! She might not eat it then!"

He nodded and I gulped the whole thing down.

I ended up back at Shikamaru's house at 10 p.m.

I felt on edge though I wasn't sure why.

Something felt… wrong…

My shoulders were tense as I left Kotetsu and Izumo at the door and walked in with Shikamaru.

His dad greeted me with a grin. "We have your room finished!"

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you!" He led the way and I followed.

My stuff was already there… clean as well…

I smiled to them as they left me for the night.

I listened as their feet faded into the distance, and my shoulders twitched under this newfound pressure.

I was frightened a moment but pushed it back, probably just being paranoid.

I showered, though a very fast one, and, for some odd reason, dressed back into the first set of clothes I had when I wound up in this world.

I gulped in a few breaths of steamy air.

I reached for the doorknob and watched as my hand started to shake… what was going on?

~Kakashi~

Kenji and Kakashi watched the Nara house as they waited in silence.

Kakashi lifted a hand up, and his kohai tensed.

He clenched it into a fist and they both shot off towards the house.

Kakashi slipped onto the porch with his chakra hidden and crouched low to the ground.

He stood outside Shikamaru's door, where her chakra was most abundant.

He gulped and opened the door a crack.

Kenji slipped in through Shikamaru's window and landed just above Kakashi on the ground.

They both approached the pallet on the ground and tensed.

They felt the danger on their shoulders as they did this and flipped the blanket back.

She was gone.

They cursed and turned, sneaking from the room and through the house.

The both stopped in their tracks as they came to another room, where a fresh bit of her chakra lingered.

They opened the door and entered. Another door led off to the side.

They approached it and felt her immense new chakra just beyond the door.

They held their breath as they watched the metal knob twitch, and waited for her to open it.

On strict orders from the Hokage, Morgan was to die tonight.

~Morgan~

My hand shook as I reached for the knob.

I gulped and my fingers brushed it, causing it to twitch slightly. I frowned, fright taking the place of everything else in my body.

Cold hands gripped into claws and I turned to look around.

There on the opposite wall… was my escape… a small window.

I looked back to the door and, somehow, knew… death awaited me beyond it. My chakra screamed this at me, a feeling I'd always shoved back before now.

I focused the feeling of my chakra and lifted my hands into the tiger form. Grinding my teeth together, I pushed the pinpricks of chakra to me feet.

The stuff shoved me backwards.

I braced myself and angled my body so as to slide through the window as easily as possible, and into the night air.

~Kakashi~

There was no more time to wait.

He kicked in the door just in time to look out of the window and see Morgan's figure disappear into the streets of Konoha.

This was bad.

~Morgan~

The town was desolate and empty as I ran.

I wasn't really sure what was happening now, but survival instinct had caught on and I knew to run.

I darted between shadows as fast as I could. I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to scream, but they were on my tail.

I gulped in air. I had to focus. Where was ?IAand where could I possibly go?

And then it hit me… the only place where I would have even a small chance of escaping in…

The forest.

Now, several more chakras appeared behind me as more people joined my original pursuers. I gasped out breath after breath as I tried to run faster.

Knowing my muscles weren't built for this type of escape, I burned chakra into my feet to fly faster, and I shot forward at my very fastest..

It was too late.

I felt an immense chakra behind me and I gasped. A sharp point dug into my heel and I gasped in pain and shock.

Why was this happening?!

I lost all sense of control and let the chakra shoot from me.

The kunai which was embedded in my foot took the chakra and, like a channel… shocked its user.

The man screamed in agony as he fell.

I wanted so badly to go back to him. I wanted to help him, but if I stopped… I was dead.

So I ran on.

My foot stung and bled, and I knew it was a trail straight to me.

I was surprised when another ninja suddenly landed in front of me.

His katana swung at me and I flew to the ground in a baseball slide in an attempt to dodge.

I managed to avoid him and he turned back to attack me again. I screamed out in shock and pain as a kunai hit my shoulder.

He left it there, and I pulled it out just in time to fend off the katana.

I was weak, I knew that. So I cheated best I could and swung the back of my foot, closing his legs so he fell.

I slammed my elbow into his neck and let him fall.

He wasn't dead I knew but… he wouldn't be getting up to chase me down now.

What was going on?! I don't get it!

I saw the gate come into view just as five ninja landed in my way.

I screamed in exertion as I jerked as much chakra as I could to my feet.

This sent me flying over their heads and into the air, where I accidentally dropped my kunai.

The thing hit a man in the shoulder. It seemed to be a weighted one and cut him quite badly, causing him to swing his sword around and hit another man in the stomach. The man fell to the ground, and a third man stopped to help them as the last two ran after me.

I landed on the ground and took off again, ignoring the bleeding wounds on both my foot and shoulder.

I just HAD to get away… I just had to.

I passed through the gates just as they were closing and lost the last few guards and I… I was free… This was what I thought until a familiar chirping sound caught my attention… and immense pain erupted throughout my senses.

I looked up and into the eyes of Kakashi and his Sharingan.

I felt my mind go numb.

"Why, Kakashi?" I asked.

He stated under his breath as his chidori further pierced me, "I Kakashi Hatake sentence S rank criminal Hidori Morino… to death."

At the sound of this I closed my eyes to the pain. I coughed up blood and felt it dribble down my chin… I coughed and it splattered across Kakashi's face… I coughed that blood… and knew…. I knew … I'd lost.


	9. Chapter 9

**Grrr, stupid fanfiction . net, screwing up chapter 9. I will never use my laptop to post chapters again...**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 9**

My eyes fluttered slightly as my vision began to dim.

I looked up and into Kakashi's Sharingan as the Chidori sunk further through my stomach.

I gagged on the blood and pain and felt myself slip more into the black.

So many people say that when they die, their life flashes before their eyes. This was my second turn at dying, and I still was not allowed such a gift… no, I was forced to keep inside my pain and suffer…

The only thing that flashed in my mind was… well, it wasn't exactly a picture, not exactly a memory, either. More of a… sensation.

I remembered back to the very first time I had used my chakra. The sensation of pushing it out was overwhelming, overpowering in fact.

I was brought roughly back by the pain and frowned. If I was going to die, I wanted to feel that amazing sensation one more time.

I let myself fall limply onto Kakashi as I relaxed past the pain. His chidori faded and he began to pull his arm from my front.

Just as the lightning faded, I concentrated on pushing my chakra do the surface, and it shot out in tiny needles.

My mind relaxed into the feeling. I felt Kakashi's presence sink back as he darted for cover in the trees. I wasn't sure why he was retreating…

I felt that tickling sensation wrap me in its arms and whisper for more. I smiled and gave in to the power.

I lifted my arms and hugged myself tightly as it rushed out without a stopper.

I heard several pairs of gasps from the direction of Konoha and smiled.

My eyes were closed and I could see nothing but the bright blue glow of my chakra. I breathed out a sigh of happiness and felt my power wane slightly.

I let it go and opened my eyes.

Terror met my eyes as I looked around.

A giant indention was in the ground around me, in a huge crater.

My eyes were huge in surprise and confusion.

What had happened while my eyes were closed? Who had done this?

Suddenly, a man appeared in front of me. His arm was lifted with a kunai to my throat.

His face was set in a snarl and his eyes in a glare.

Kenji shouted, "DIE!"

I was so afraid.

I didn't want to die!

That was when I realized… my pain was gone from the place where Kakashi had stabbed me… it was healed, my foot was healed, the kunai shot to my shoulder was gone.

I was… perfectly healed.

I gasped and, in my shock, my concentration on holding back my chakra snapped. It seemed to be bustling against my skin in wait for me to let it go once more.

I watched in muted horror as a single huge spike of blue chakra from my chest shot out and straight through Kenji's chest.

I screamed as his eyes scanned my face and he dropped to the ground.

With a wave of realization of what I'd done, my eyes widened to their utmost, I lifted my hands and looked down to them where my chakra still glowed.

They were shaking so hard… so very hard.

My heart pounded in my chest in fear and confusion and pain.

What was happening to me?!

Kakashi jumped in and retrieved Kenji. I was still in my shocked condition as twenty more ninja surrounded me. They all seemed cautious of me.

I screamed, "DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

Tears streamed down my face as they all ran at me in the same instant, except for Kakashi who was carrying Kenji away.

I pulled my hands to cover my face as a last attempt to hold myself together, but the chakra just acted on its own and shot from me.

I screamed, "NO!"

I heard Kakashi bellow, "NO!" a second later.

I heard several thumps and opened my eyes.

Twenty dead ninja lay around me in a circle, like a massacre…

Kakashi dropped Kenji where he was and charged me.

I screamed out, "LEAVE ME ALONE, KAKASHI!"

He just held that chidori in his left arm as he ran at me.

He dodged the first spike of blue and ducked under the next. And just as his hand was about to reach my face a spike of chakra shot out from me and into Kakashi's hand.

It was caught in the spike and he was thrown back and into a tree, where he was pierced to the tree by my chakra.

His hand was pinned there and he was as good as a dead, caught, just as I had been before. But now he had lost… to me.

I walked forward and used all the strength left in me to hold the chakra back.

I reached him and demanded… I wasn't even sure why I was doing it but I demanded it of him, "WHO IS HIDORI MORINO?!"

Kakashi looked utterly shocked by this as tears ran down my cheeks.

My chakra made a move to hit Kakashi as it left my chest and aimed at him.

I screamed in exertion and held the spike a millimeter from his chest. The spike drug across his vest and ripped it through. From its depths a folder fell out.

I shoved back my chakra with shaking limbs and picked it up.

The file read 'Hidori Morino' on it. I gripped it to my chest and turned from him.

I began to run. And as I looked back to the crater I cried out, "I am so sorry, Kakashi!"

And I ran straight into the night.

~Konoha, around 6 a.m.~

Women cried, children screamed beside coffins, and people mourned.

Kakashi stood above a certain ninja's coffin and stared down numbly.

Sakura arrived at his shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei… They have a right to know how their men died. We need to know who did this…"

Kakashi watched as Ino looked up at him from beside a coffin, seeming to beg him for an answer.

Shikamaru and Choji stood at her shoulder trying to comfort her.

Shikamaru and the others knew nothing…

Kakashi and the Hokage were the only two in the village who knew, and he agreed with Sakura. They deserved to know.

Kakashi stated, "Hidori Morino."

Everyone looked utterly confused.

Shikamaru seemed almost desperate as he demanded, "Was Morgan caught up in the battle too?!"

Kakashi stated, "Yes."

Everyone waited.

Kakashi stated after a moment of thoughtful regret, "But Morgan goes by another name. Her real name, and the person responsible for this massacre, is none other than Hidori Morino."

Every eye in the building widened and Shikamaru spat, "What are you talking about?!"

Kakashi stated, "Morgan killed every man here single handedly."

Ino burst into tears anew and screamed, "She was right in front of me! I could have stopped this! This is all my fault!"

Kakashi looked away, "We all fell for her tricks…"

Shikamaru looked down as he clenched his fists. "Where is she now?"

Kakashi stated, "On the run."

He growled as he turned and walked from the building.

He walked past the others waiting to hear from Ino outside. Kiba, Neji, Lee, Shino, and so many others who had met Morgan. Kotetsu and Izumo demanded, "IS MORGAN HURT?! PLEASE SAY SHE'S NOT! PLEASE!"

Shika looked away. "Morgan… is a traitor…"

He turned away from their horrified stares. Sakura walked over and explained everything.

A wave of pain and heartbreak hit them, and they fell to their knees.

Shikamaru only heard one thing. "Just like Sasuke… never coming back."

He flinched at this and growled under his breath, "She IS coming back, even if I die trying!"


	10. Chapter 10

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 10**

Sharp stinging breaths racked my chest. My shoulders shook in exertion. My eyes were squeezed shut in pain.

My legs moved by themselves. My brain begged me to move faster, but my body groaned in argument.

The folder in my grip began to slip from my grip due to my sweat.

As for how long I'd been running, I had no idea. All I knew was my pain and the fact that I simply HAD to run.

I heard the rush of water and made my way in that direction. My eyes opened a crack and I saw the stream up ahead of me.

Finally reaching it, I dropped to my knees and face planted into the water.

I drank deep and hard. Its cold icy depths replenished me to some aspect. I breathed in hard and choked on my water.

I pulled back, rolling towards a tree and leaning back on it.

I clutched the folder again to me as my body shook. I screamed in exertion and pain.

I felt tears well up from the clenching pain inside me. My eyes closed and I wailed my pain out into the sky again.

I clutched my knees to my chest and cried.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and jerked up in surprise and fright.

A hand covered my eyes and the voice of a man I didn't know stated, "Be still. It will all be over soon."

And with that, the set of fingers on my shoulders pressed down hard, and I passed out into mercy-filled slumber.

~? ? ? ? ? ?~

He had seen her running through the woods as he sat in the tops of the trees… waiting.

He saw the evident pain on her face and watched where she went.

The package in her arms was crumpled into an almost unrecognizable thing.

He stood as she left his range of view and, full of curiosity, jumped off through the trees after her.

At the sound of water he stopped.

He saw her pull her head from the water and lean back on a tree. She screamed again and again in pain.

His curiosity peaked… he needed to know what was in that folder.

The man frowned slightly and jumped down to her while she cried and touched her gently.

She looked up in fear and panic and his hand covered her eyes.

He stated in a calm and reassuring tone, "Be still. It will all be over soon." and pressed his fingers to her shoulder.

As she slumped to the ground, she released her grip on the papers, letting out a sigh of relief and falling unconscious.

The man knelt down and opened the file. His eyebrows rose. His mind was in overdrive as he considered this.

He smirked and closed the folder with a whoosh.

The girl's picture matched the one in the folder, but something just seemed… odd. But all the same, this was an interesting subject…

He sighed slightly as he tucked the folder into his clothes and picked the blond girl up in his arms.

She groaned slightly in pain, and he moved her more gently.

A voice asked, "Who is that?"

The man turned to the other and stated very calmly, "A girl."

The other guy sighed, "I knew you'd lose it eventually. You DO understand what you've done, right?"

The man holding the girl nodded, "Of course."

The second man sighed, "Either insane or hormonal… personally I hope it's the first one."

The first man sighed, "Kisame, be quiet. If she wakes, you'll have to carry her."

The man chuckled, "Alright, Alright! Calm down, Itachi! Sheesh! Must be number two!"

Kisame waved his hands back and forth. "Just kidding! I've been researching too much lately. I just needed to hear a joke."

Itachi continued to walk deeper into the forest.

~Konoha~

Shikamaru and his squad stood in the Hokage's office.

Tsunade glared furiously at the group. "YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND, SHIKAMARU!"

Shikamaru flinched under the angry woman's gaze.

She continued more calmly as she rubbed her temples, "That girl was never of our village, therefore she is not our responsibility. Going after her would be a waste of time."

Shikamaru clenched his hands into fists, "But look what she did! We have to at least find her!"

The woman shook her head, "You would all die, Shikamaru."

He growled, "No! Not if I-"

Tsunade cut him off, "NOT IF YOU DIE! Did you not see what she did to ALL of those men? They couldn't even get near her! Look what she did to Kakashi's hand! She is more powerful than the file stated. We will not meddle with these things!"

Ino roared, "I WANT REVENGE!"

The woman sighed and gave her a sympathetic look. "Ino… your family member who died… would not want you to throw your life away."

Shikamaru demanded, "Well, what are you going to do now?!"

The woman sighed, "I will send a letter to the Tsuchikage. That is all I can do at this time, not until I have their permission to continue."

The three young ninja glared in response.

She frowns, "As soon as he responds, we will know what to do about her."

A voice from the window asked, "Hate to interrupt, but I have a quick question."

The Hokage asked, "What is it Kakashi?"

The man snapped his book closed and looked up to them. "One of the Akatsuki is known to have originated from their village. Could they have sent her?"

The others all looked confused.

The Hokage frowned, "I don't believe she was, though we may as well assume that. Even if she was not sent… she may be acquainted with the member. She could very well run to them for support."

Shikamaru asked, "What will happen if she does?"

The woman looked frustrated and the pen in her hands snapped, splattering ink over the desk.

"Then she is forever lost from our reach."

Shikamaru demanded, "WHY?!"

Tsunade stated, "If you haven't noticed, we are missing a crucial factor needed to confront the Akatsuki."

Choji answered, "Naruto…"

She nodded, "Exactly."

Shika's grip loosened, "Please send the letter… before she has time to find them."

The woman nodded, and Team 10 left the room.

Kakashi jumped in through the window and waited until the door was closed to ask, "Are you sending a bird?"

Tsunade frowned, "No. I am sending you."

He nodded, "As you wish."

~? ? ? ? ? ?~

Blond hair flared out as he soared high in the sky on a clay bird. He lay on his back, staring up at the sky.

His Iwagakure headband was tied tightly around his forehead as the blond hair rushed over it.

Deidara glanced down to where Sasori was just finishing his fight, toying with his opponents and finally sending them away to become his future art.

Sasori had called these few, so Deidara had left him alone.

His blue eyes gleamed down at Sasori as his bird swooped down to the ground and landed near Sasori.

He sat up and crossed his legs under his cloak as the bird dropped down to his partner's level.

Deidara asked very calmly, "Did they know anything about your assignment, Sasori no Danna?"

Sasori replied, "No."

Deidara nodded. "Well, we both know where mine is. Why don't we go there now?"

Sasori replied, "We have THAT to go to, Squirt."

Deidara frowned, "I don't trust meeting everyone in person like this. You'd better have your guard up, Danna."

The puppet growled, "I am immortal, you brat! You should heed your own advice!"

Deidara sighed, "Well then, let's go Sasori, my man!"

Sasori simply walked on. "Let's just move. I hate making others wait."

Deidara grinned, "Right."


	11. Chapter 11

**To clarify, this story was written before the identity of Tobi was revealed in the manga, so Tobi's identity in this story is Madara Uchiha, whom many fans (including myself) thought Tobi to be at the time. Just pretend. It** **is** **fanfiction ;)**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 11**

I knew a few things as I regained consciousness:

One, I had moved from my original spot in the forest.

Two, I was alive.

Three, nothing hurt anymore.

Four, I was no longer moving but laying on my back.

And five- the one that really woke me up - I felt eyes on me.

I sat straight up and nearly hit a "wall" of orange.

I screamed. They screamed. I screamed again. They returned it. Then we both screamed at the same time and jumped away from each other, both of us crashing into someone else.

Déjà vu struck me then, as I looked in fright at the person who had screamed with/at me.

I knew him as Tobi. And I knew his real name as well… Madara Uchiha…

I gasped and felt whoever I was on top of move under me. I looked down and screamed again.

A certain Jashinist was smirking up at me, looking back and forth at me and Tobi.

I gasped and scooted off him, onto the floor.

I jerked to my feet and, looking back over my shoulder at the others, ran smack into someone else. I gulped and looked up.

Kisame was REALLY tall.

That was about the only thing going through my head in that moment.

I stumbled back again and fell onto my butt, where I was now sitting on someone's feet. I looked up and saw a rather angry Kakuzu glaring at me.

I blinked hard, wishing I could disappear, and looked at them all, including Zetsu, who Tobi was still sitting on.

I shivered and stuttered, "Y-Y-Y-you're th-th-th-th-th-the A-k-Ak-Akatsuki!"

Not surprisingly, I was freaking out.

My imagination was filled with thoughts of these people all the time, but I knew my imagination was SO far wrong on their personalities… Oh I was SO dead.

My heart kicked into overdrive as none other than Itachi Uchiha walked in the room.

He sighed, "I leave for five minutes and you have her ready to pee herself."

I was huddling into myself, praying Madara was right and Itachi only killed his clan on orders… I prayed like heck.

Finally Tobi shouted, "Hidori-chan scared Tobi!"

I was confused, "Who's Hidori?" I slammed a hand over my mouth and lowered my eyes, remembering who I was surrounded by. I knew I was being a complete coward, but these people were MURDERERS.

I pressed my eyes into my knees to hide them from view and listened to them talk.

Tobi stated, "I thought her name was Hidori Morino?"

Itachi stated, "That was the name in her file, and the picture matched hers."

My head jerked up.

"WHERE IS MY FILE!?"

Everyone looked confused.

I jumped to my feet and in an attempt with something close to desperation… I TACKLED Itachi.

I have NO idea what was going on my head, but I ran at him and knocked us both do the ground.

I pinned his arms with my hands and sat on his chest.

"Where is my file?!" I demanded.

The entire organization, which was in the room, gaped at me.

Itachi seemed utterly bewildered at this.

I felt my fear kick back in and jerked away.

Itachi stood and gave me the most… speculating look.

Suddenly the door banged open.

A rough voice muttered, "We were late because of you, Deidara-baka."

Another lighter voice replied, "No way, Sasori-Danna! It was you and your art collection that slowed us down!"

I looked back to the six or so eyes looking at me in the room and to the door where the TWO voices were coming from.

I took off as fast as I could for the door and darted through. My eyes met with Deidara's.

His eyes grew wide. His mouth opened in shock and confusion.

He shouted, "YOU!"

I ducked under his pointing hand, racing towards the exit, free!

Unfortunately, Sasori's tail tripped me.

I face planted into the dirt. I groaned and got up.

Deidara was in front of me, gaping.

"HIDORI, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

I gulped back my shock and fear and screamed, "MY NAME IS MORGAN, YOU BAKA!"

And I passed out from shock of my extremely… odd… situation.

~Akatsuki~

Everyone just watched as she ran into the hall.

First, Itachi had found the girl on the road and knocked her out to see what was in her file.

Second, he had brought her to their meeting. It was the, erm… 'special' meeting once a year where the Akatsuki met and were forced to spend one month together so as to "better know one another".

Third, she had woken up and freaked out at the very sight of them.

Four, somehow she was a completely different person than her file stated she was.

This girl was three things in one: she was crazy, she was a scaredy cat, and Deidara apparently KNEW her.

Deidara looked down at her unconscious form with a wide open mouth. He looked up to the others and screamed, "WHAT THE HECK IS SHE HERE FOR?!"

Itachi walked over and picked her up. Everyone walked BACK into the living room of their odd little base, and Itachi placed the girl on the couch.

He asked, "How do you know her?"

Deidara stuttered, "How SHOULDN'T I know her! We lived in the same village! We went to the same schools! She was my worst enemy!"

He was ranting now, and everyone was tuning him out.

Tobi stood over her face again and asked, "But she said she wasn't Hidori-chan!"

Deidara looked confused as he calmed down, "Yeah, she said her name was Morgan or something, hmm… "

Itachi asked, "What was she like when you knew her?"

Deidara stated, "She was really serious all the time."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

Deidara growled, "When she left the village before me."

Everyone ignored him again when Morgan mumbled and forced her eyes open.

She looked up at them and groaned, "It's just a dream… just a dream…"

Itachi pinched her arm and she groaned again, "It's not a dream… I'm dead, I'm really dead…"

Deidara hissed, "What are you doing here, Hidori!?"

Morgan sat up and looked at all of them.

"I'm not Hidori! I don't even know who that person is. My name is Morgan. I am from America, I play soccer, I do math homework every day, I suck at using chakra, and ever since I got here everyone's been calling me Hidori!"

Everyone looked confused.

Morgan murmured, "I'm gonna die anyway… so…"

She stood up and stated, "I was in an accident where I lived, and when I woke up I was in the Land of Fire. I was found and taken to the Hidden Leaf by an Anbu, and a week or so later they began calling my Hidori and tried to kill me, so I ran away with a folder, and now I'm HERE. With the AKATSUKI."

She took a strangled and shaky breath.

Zetsu asked "Do you know us?"

~Morgan~

Oh the stupid question that got me into SO much trouble… "Do you know us?"

I nodded.

With a finger I pointed to Sasori. "You are Sasori of the Red Sand. You are a puppet and use puppets to fight. Your parents died when you were young, and your grandmother basically raised you."

My hand moved to Deidara. "You are Deidara from Iwagakure. You have mouths on your hands and chest, where you eat clay and turn things into your exploding art."

I moved on to Kisame. "You are Kisame Hoshigaki from the Hidden Mist, and one of the seven ninja swordsmen! Your blade can eat chakra!"

I skipped over to Hidan. "Your name is Hidan and you are a Jashinist. You take someone's blood and make a curse through it to sacrifice the person to your god."

I kept turning, "You are Kakuzu from the Hidden Waterfall village, and you are actually pretty old cuz' you have five hearts and can replace them again and again."

I looked to Zetsu and stated, "Your name is Zetsu… and you eat people."

He smirked at this and I moved on to Itachi.

Here, I gulped nervously. "You are Itachi Uchiha of the infamous Uchiha clan, of whom you massacred in your village. Your younger brother is Sasuke Uchiha, who not but a short time ago joined your ex-member Orochimaru for power to kill you."

Tobi asked, "What about Tobi?"

I smiled and stated, "Your name is Tobi, and… you are a good boy."

The guy shouted, "Morgan-chan thinks Tobi is a good boy! See, Deidara-sempai? You should be a nice ninja like Morgan-chan!"

I groaned as they started to squabble.

Just then, Itachi crossed his arms and stated, "Welcome to the Akatsuki… amnesia-chan."

I smiled slightly… Oh boy…


	12. Chapter 12

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 12**

Itachi stated, "Welcome to the Akatsuki, amnesia-chan."

I sighed as the men all shouted at each other.

Tobi elbowed me in the ribs and quietly pointed down a hallway.

My breath caught in my throat as Konan and Pein stepped into view.

Pein stopped in front of everyone, and the uproar silenced.

He held up a scroll. "I have redone the organization levels so as to best acquaint you. Get along."

He pinned the scroll to the wall and the people rushed at it like dogs foaming over bones.

Hidan cursed, "WHY DO I HAVE TO SHARE A **BEEP**ING ROOM WITH TOBI?!"

I giggled. I pretty much understood what they were doing. They were being assigned rooms to share… I wasn't sure WHY, but they were.

Itachi stood to my right, not daring to look, and Deidara was just gawking at me.

Kisame stated, "I room with Kakuzu."

Zetsu stepped back, "I room… with Sasori."

Sasori nodded and walked out of the crowd.

Deidara muttered under his breath, "That leaves me rooming with…"

Itachi stated, "With me."

Neither said anything.

Itachi stood staring at his name on the list without any sign of whether this disturbed or pleased him.

Deidara had his arms crossed as he glared at a wall.

I gulped as I worked up all the courage left in me and asked the man in charge, "Where do I stay?"

Pein glanced to me, then looked away in thought. "Itachi."

Itachi nodded, and he continued, "You and Deidara shall share a room with her."

Deidara burst, "NO WAY!"

I cringed as he turned on me. "I am not sharing a room with HER!"

He stormed off down a random hall.

I frowned. He was very easily angered.

I looked to Itachi and found him looking away.

I sighed and took off at a run after the blonde. He was staring at a dead end cursing Pein.

I stated, "My name is Morgan, and if it makes you feel any better… I'll sleep in the hall."

He turned to me with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?"

I frowned, "I said I'd sleep in the hall."

Deidara glowered at me. "Yeah, you and that psychology you always use on me. No way in heck! You are sleeping in that room!"

I was just plain confused as he rambled about me ALWAYS doing these kinds of things to him.

After a while I muttered, "Where I come from, people told stories about the Akatsuki, and you were one of the favorites…"

He looked confused.

I smiled slightly, "Everyone has been calling me Hidori, but my name is Morgan. I live in a country so far away from here I couldn't even tell you which direction to go. Like I said, I was in an accident and ended up here… I just look like this girl you know."

He narrowed his eyes, "What is your opinion on art?"

I smiled broadly, "Art is amazing! It's something that helps you express yourself in a way no words can describe! It shows who we are, our emotions inside… You know?"

He smirked. "You definitely are quite a bit different in that aspect… What kind of art do you do?"

I chuckled slightly, "I draw."

He raised an eyebrow and tossed me a notebook and a pencil from a pocket in his cloak.

I frowned, "Now?"

He gave me an exasperated look, "Just do it."

My pencil scraped quickly over the white paper, leaving dark lines behind.

I handed it back and he examined it.

A picture of him was on the page.

He sighed, "It doesn't even look anything like me."

I shrugged and laughed, "I never said I was any good!"

He just walked past me and to our room.

I began to follow, but he stopped abruptly, causing me to run into his back.

He glared at me over his shoulder and stated, "Just to set things up for you to understand… I HATE you. You and Hidori both make me sick."

And he walked away and left me there in the hall.

I realized a moment after my heart calmed and my fear faded that I was now… LOST.

"Uh-oh…"

I took a hesitant step forward and straight into an orange thing hanging from the ceiling.

"TOBI!" I gasped.

He rubbed his mask where I'd hit it and stated, "Morgan-chan was taking a long time! So I wanted to make sure Deidara didn't do anything bad!"

I sighed in relief and asked, "Do you know how to get around?"

He nodded rapidly and jumped down so we were both standing up straight.

He grabbed my hand and basically dragged me down the hall and through several different doors.

He stopped. "Uh-oh…"

I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

He stated, "I got us lost, Nee-chan!"

I frowned. He had called me his sister…

I asked, "Why don't we go back the way we came then?"

He nodded and turned around, and suddenly stopped again.

There were five doors back the way we'd come.

I groaned, "Oh no…"

He laughed, "I got Morgan lost on purpose!"

I sighed. How had I NOT expected this?

I opened the first door and yelped. A broom fell out and hit me in the head. "Oooooow!"

Tobi laughed, pointing his finger at me.

I frowned, "You knew that was going to happen!"

He nodded, "Yep!"

I sighed and opened the next door, and walked down the dark hall with him on my heels.

I opened the door at the end of the hall and groaned as a GIANT bolder began to roll after us.

I grabbed Tobi's hand and dragged him back to the door, slamming it shut behind us. I let out a sigh of relief.

Tobi sighed, "Morgan is bad at picking doors! I'm gonna do it perfect! Just you wait, Nee-chan!"

He opened up the first door on his right and we both stared.

"Is that a jutsu?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Water, right?"

"On the nose."

"How long until it falls?"

Tobi shrugged and replied, "I'd say five seconds."

I nodded slightly and sighed boredly, "Bring it."

The door seemed to be filled to the brim with water as it just kinda floated there…

It released and the water rushed towards us. I grabbed Tobi again and swam over to the door with the bolder and opened it.

The water flowed out and I stood there REALLY wet.

Tobi stated, "Morgan should pick next door!" I nodded and walked down the next hall to three more doors.

I groaned as I opened one and a load of mice ran out.

Tobi screamed and jumped on my back as he freaked out.

I held his weight easily, since I was strong enough from soccer, and walked over to another door and opened it, revealing a tiger.

I stepped aside and it saw the mice and chased after them.

I walked down the hall and stopped at the dead end.

I dropped Tobi on his butt and asked, "What the hell kind of base is this?"

He smiled and waved his arms in the air, "A BIG one!"

With a sigh I turned back. I was honestly pretty sure after this, nothing else in the Naruto world was ever going to surprise me again.

That was until an elephant knocked down a wall and marched through with a parade of monkeys eating muffins. It was after that and the dancing horses that I really lost all hope in reality and screamed, "I HATE GENJUTSU!"

I heard Tobi's wild laughter, and he reappeared where we were supposed to be in the hallway.

I sighed, "Thanks for whatever you did. But I'll tell you right now, you are insane."

He laughed, "Aw! I love you too, Nee-chan! Tobi just wanted to play!"

I sighed. The Akatsuki were A LOT different than I expected… but rather similar in some ways as well. I wonder why?


	13. Chapter 13

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 13**

So I stood in that hallway, still lost… with Tobi.

He started to walk, and I ran and latched my hand around the upper part of his arm.

He turned and looked at me. I laughed nervously and stated, "Buddy system."

He nodded with that odd little laugh of his and began to run down the halls.

Now I was forced to hug him around the neck as he darted forward. To a random passerby, I would look like a cape.

He stopped abruptly and I was thrown forward and into a door. It opened with a loud bang and I ended up face planting in the wooden floor with my butt up above my head.

I groaned, "Ow…"

Tobi laughed, "Have fun, Nee-chan!", and I heard his feet fade as he ran away.

I rolled over on my stomach and gasped.

Itachi and Deidara were both looking at me from their beds with nothing but pure 100% OMG on their faces.

I went red in the face as I stood and dusted myself off.

I stated rather stupidly, "I tripped."

Itachi just stood and began to move things from a pack to the shelves and drawers around his bed.

I looked around the room and realized something important- there were two beds… and three of us.

I backed away and to the door as Deidara asked, "Where are you going now, Hidori?!" His tone was cruel and full of hatred.

I muttered in return, "I am going to sleep in the hall."

Deidara sighed, "Stupid psychology… Why?"

I replied as I stalked towards the door, "There are only two beds."

Itachi and Deidara asked at the same time, Deidara with his annoyed tone and Itachi with his blunt one, "Then who do you want to sleep with?"

I grimaced and jabbed my thumb at the door, "Hall."

Deidara muttered angrily as he grabbed a pillow and blanket and marched from the room with a frustrated look on his face.

I looked back to Itachi who tossed a fat pillow into my head. I fell off balance and ended up on Deidara's ex-bed.

Itachi opened a closet door and took more sheets and stuff out. I frowned as he gave me a set of bright pink sheets. I put them on the empty bed and stared at them a while.

He was in his bed leaning against the headboard and flipping through a book.

With a sudden interest I popped up beside him and asked, "What are you reading?"

He glanced at me and replied, "A book on chakra networks."

I frowned. "Have anything interesting?"

He pointed to a stack of five or six books on his shelf and I walked over to them.

I frowned. There was a book on all the types of kunai, a book about poisons, a book on food pills, and another on the history of… Konoha…

I squealed in delight as I selected it. I bounded over to Deidara's… I mean, my bed!

I plopped down and read late into the night. After a while I felt my eyes close on their own, and I drifted off to sleep.

~Itachi~

He glanced over at the now asleep girl as the book fell from her hands and into her lap.

He sighed and closed his book before walking over and taking hers.

He laid her out straight on the bed as he had done with his younger brother several times when he'd fallen asleep in the wrong position.

He frowned at the memory.

Itachi pulled the covers over her and up to her chin, and turned his back to her.

He felt her hand close around his and he looked back to her.

Her eyes were still closed and her breath slow and steady, but she whispered as a single tear rolled down her cheeks, "I want to go home…"

He released himself from her grasp and walked over to his own bed. He flipped the light off and lay down.

His arms were resting behind his head like a pillow as he stared out of the single open window in the room, and straight up at the stars.

He closed his eyes and fell into the half sleep of an aware ninja.

~Next Morning~

I woke up and shoved the blanket from me and onto the floor. It was one of the better rests I'd had since arriving in Naruto.

I yawned and stretched as my memories came back.

I found the room's bathroom and shut it behind me as I took a shower. The water relaxed me and calmed all my nerves.

I turned the water off and pulled a towel in the shower and wrapped it around me before stepping out.

I sighed in relaxation just as the door opened and a startled looking Deidara gaped at me.

He went bright red and covered both his eyes, even though one was a camera, like a little kid.

"SORRY HIDORI-CHAN!"

He turned and ran from the room and into the opposite wall before stumbling onto his butt and struggling to stand again.

During the excitement I dressed as quickly as humanly possible and stood there, brushing my hair as he finally opened his eyes.

He sighed in relief as I backed away and over to the bathroom door again.

He flinched and I sighed, "I was going to see if there were any toothbrushes in the cabinet."

He followed cautiously into the room as I opened a brand new toothbrush and brushed quickly, spitting the stuff out every few seconds.

He looked awed. "You look just like Hidori… but you're nothing like her."

I nodded, "Thank you."

Deidara frowned and seemed to think.

He turned and walked from the room with another glare at me. "Don't get comfortable here."

I sighed and walked from the room with my soaking hair and down the hall, hoping that I wasn't getting lost again…

Nope, there was his laugh.

Tobi appeared from thin air in front of me and cooed, "Morning, Morgan-nee-chan!"

I gulped and replied, "Morning, Tobi."

He grabbed the upper part of my arm and turned me the opposite way.

"Buddy System to the kitchen!"

I sighed in relief, "Thanks…"

He nodded and leads the way.

We entered the kitchen and I froze.

Every member in the Akatsuki was there… all in their pajamas…

Sasori was just wearing a net shirt over his real form, with ninja pants. Kisame was wearing a blue tank top and fishy boxers. Kakuzu wasn't wearing a top, just ninja pants.

Hidan was completely naked. At this I screamed and ran from the room, holding my eyes.

Itachi, dressed in what appeared to be a bathrobe, walked out after me to see what was wrong.

I remembered the others as I screamed and ran on.

Pein had been wearing a black muscle shirt and black pants of some sort. Zetsu was actually dressed, thank the lord. Tobi was dressed, Deidara was dressed, and Konan was wearing a rather revealing top with short shorts.

I stopped after a while and breathed in the relief of not having to see them anymore.

Itachi asked, "What was that?"

I turned on him and screamed, "WHAT WASN'T THAT?! THAT WAS NOT NATURAL!"

He sighed, "Welcome to the first month of 'Akatsuki Meet'."

I frowned, "What's that?"

He replied, "A time every year we all meet to get to know one another, that's why Deidara and I are to share a room."

I nodded after a moment and asked, "Do you always dress like that in the mornings?"

He simply began to walk away.

I followed and he led me back to the kitchen and I frowned.

Everyone was now fully dressed and sitting straight up, looking directly forward.

Everyone muttered at the same instant, "Sorry Morgan-chan…"

I asked, "Huh?"

Pein stated, "We were all supposed to have been dressed by the time you got here. We forgot…"

I asked, "Why should you care about me?"

A random member replied, "Because we knew you'd react like that."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I walked over to the refrigerator and whispered to myself, "Bipolar, I swear it…"

I slammed the thing closed as I pulled the plate labeled 'Morgan's breakfast' from it and pulled the plastic away… eggs and bacon, yummers.

I sat down between Sasori and Deidara and ate my fill, ignoring the gaze of the rest of the Akatsuki.

They were a little more human to me now, though I was more tense around them than I had ever been. They still scared the living crap out of me in person, I just hid it well.


	14. Chapter 14

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 14**

Around the time my plate was empty everyone began to disperse.

I stood as well and walked over to the already piled high stack of dirty dishes and begin to clean.

I know it's really weird and all but cleaning qs one of those things that just eased me into a calm mood.

My thoughts drifted out like they used to and I thought of my old friends… and the friend I wrecked with.

I flinched at that and nearly dropped the plate from my hands. What had happened to Drew? Was he okay? Was he… the 'd' word…?

That made me pause in shock as another thought hit me. What if I was the 'd' word? I mean, I could be in the afterlife or something. Or maybe a comatose related dream.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and jerked back to the room with the Akatsuki.

Tobi, as I had just realized, was a full foot taller than me, and I am pretty tall…

He knelt over just a bit so our heads were closer to the same height.

His gloved hand rested on my shoulder and his other was positioned on his hip like a girl.

He sighed, "Morgan-chan works too much!"

With a small smile and nod, I placed the last clean plate into the cabinet and walked out of the kitchen.

I wondered in my head, "What do the Akatsuki do when they aren't on missions anyway?"

Of course my fangirlism kicked in and I ran off through the random hallways.

After nearly twenty minutes of wandering and seven dead ends I found the living room.

It looked NOTHING like what all the comics on the internet thought.

The wall beside the door was covered with a plasma TV, with an entire tower of DVDs in the corner.

A stereo as big as a car sat on the left wall. CDs littered the floor and cases were open to reveal the discs still in place. Hidan sat among them, looking at his pile lovingly.

A black curved couch was against the back wall where they could clearly see the TV and hear the music if wanted. I noticed it was big enough to seat twenty comfortably.

An actual poker table was set up in the last open corner, off to the side where they could have a bit of peace.

A small coffee table sat in front of the couch, and two small desks with lamps were placed at the ends of the couch. Books, magazines, and pens were scattered around.

I gazed around the room in complete and utter awe.

No wonder the Akatsuki were in need of money. They lived like KINGS.

I wiped the drool from my chin and kept gawking.

Deidara entered from one of the hallways and spotted me.

"What the heck are you staring at?!"

I snapped out of it and walked past him to the stereo.

Music… was a very important part in my life… *Cough. Obsession. Cough.*

I felt the tears and knelt down to the disks.

Hidan eyed me suspiciously, but I ignored him.

Both guys watched me as I tenderly picked up each disk and read the labels. I wasn't sure, but my face was most likely a mix between extreme happiness and trying not to cry.

The disk I placed in was loud, and I didn't know the singer or band.

Hidan asked, "What's with the tears?"

I squealed in happiness, "YOUR BASE ROCKS!"

I was consumed with emotions, but I tackled Hidan and shrieked like a little girl. I mean, if you suddenly had access to four hundred CDs with twenty songs each, you'd be pretty excited right?

He was struggling to get loose and Deidara was roaring for me to 'behave'.

I jumped away just as the angry Hidan stood.

I was too happy to be afraid, and as Itachi ran in the room, another impulse of hormones and happiness hit me… I jumped up and onto him before swinging myself around and gripping onto his back to hide myself.

The music changed and I laughed.

Why in the word was I so HAPPY?! This just didn't make SENSE.

I suddenly realized why, and turned from the awesomeness of the living room to find a certain very tall masked man/child.

Tobi was walking towards the living room, watching me carefully.

"Tobi…"

"Morgan-chan!"

"Tobi…"

"What Morgan-chan?"

"Tobi."

"Morgan-chan?"

"Tobi!"

"Wh-what Morgan-chan?!"

"TOBI," I screamed, "WHAT DID YOU PUT IN MY FOOD?!"

He looked confused as he scratched the top of his head.

"Pepper?" he asked.

I frowned and demanded, "You put some kind of meds in my food, didn't you?"

Tobi frowned, "Nope! Deidara did though, but he said it was to make you happy, so we let him."

I roared, "NOT THIS KIND OF HAPPY! I'M FRIGGIN HIGH!"

Tobi flinched. "You're not happy now… "

I growled as the chakra flowed through me.

Holy crap, I was p'd off.

The chakra had burnt off the drug and now I was just mad.

Wait a sec… I was mad at Tobi, and Tobi was really… Madara.

I suddenly froze. I spun on my heel and walked away quickly.

Not good… he was watching me… not good… he wasn't leaving… not good… he had seen my fear… not good…

~Two hours, 134 dead ends, 5 pit traps, and 9000 doors later…~

I finally found mine and Itachi's room. Well, it was still technically Deidara's room, too, but hey, two beds and three people made me a little nervous, so man number blond was out!

I opened the door and saw Itachi sitting on his bed.

I groaned and stepped in before face planting into the floor. He asked, "Where were you?"

I answered, "Lost."

He sighed and tossed a pillow at me.

"Remember, left at the kitchen and a right after five doors. Second on the right, next left and door straight ahead, that's here."

I groaned and kept my face to the floor. "I hate these stupid halls…"

Itachi sighed and answered, "Then just look at the ceiling. Every hall colored with blue tile leads to the kitchen. Every red leads to the living room. Green takes you to the resident wing where we are."

I looked up and stared at the ceiling. "Oooooooh!"

He just went back to reading his book.

I remember falling asleep on the floor.

~Later, in the evening~

I woke up to the sounds of five voices right above me.

I opened my eyes and found a set of blue, purple, green, black, and red eyes looking down at me.

Abruptly I sat up and looked around.

I was in my bed staring at Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Itachi respectively.

Hidan stated, "We're watching movies. You in?"

I frowned, "Which one?"

Kisame muttered, "Today is Itachi's pick so most likely an action one."

I grinned. Movies with the Akatsuki… never expected that to happen!


	15. Chapter 15

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 15**

I followed the Akatsuki through the halls as adrenaline pumped through my veins. Itachi was picking the movie and everyone was going to watch. I gleamed like the little girl I was and tried not to squeal. This was so cool!

We walked in and noticed that the awesome couch had been pulled up closer to the TV, and the stereo was unplugged. I also noted that a piece of the WALL had opened, and from it Pein had pulled out a counter. He then began to unpack what was inside the counter.

There was a silent microwave, a refrigerator (I hoped it had coke and not things that make men/women drunk) and several other things.

I stood there, open mouthed at the sheer awesomeness of it all.

I looked at Itachi and stated, "Itachi." He nodded in wait for my question, "YOUR BASE KICKS BUTT!" My face had the biggest grin I could muster.

Everyone just rolled their eyes, and Kisame asked from the microwave, "You want popcorn, Morgan?" I beamed and ran to him. He handed me the bowl and I found the BUTTER MACHINE. *drool* (this was SO my dream house) I poured it on and looked in the fridge.

HOLY CATS. THEY HAD COKE.

I grabbed a can and darted over to the edge. Itachi picked me up and scooted me over one seat, where he sat beside the lamp and began to shuffle through the DVD case he held.

Hidan muttered something about making sure Itachi didn't pick a sissy movie and shoved me down another one. Kisame sighed and sat between me and Hidan with an annoyed frown.

Kakuzu dropped down on my right and Zetsu beside him.

Tobi sat near him and Sasori, and Deidara was left at the other end of the couch..

Konan walked in and saw the arrangements. "No way. I call new girl."

I frowned. She meant me, right? Konan walked over and sat between Kakuzu and me, while Pein sat beside her and Kakuzu.

Konan stated, "You are way better than Deidara."

I laughed inwardly where no one could hear and Itachi held up the movie he wanted.

I asked, "What's it about?"

Itachi stated very blankly, "It's a story about a ninja whose comrade ditched him in battle and died, and now he's come back for revenge as a zombie to kill his village. I heard it is very well made."

"Um…" I murmured and everyone looked to me. "I'm not good with scary movies…"

Hidan cursed, "Kisame, you lucky dog! Getting the seat right next to the scared chick."

(That was the nice version of what he said. Insert bad words here and there and you'll have the correct version.)

They all just tossed me a pillow to hide my eyes and started the movie.

I wanted to laugh. I remembered how realistic the movies at home had been, but in cartoon form they were simply… normal. Stupid. Weak, in my opinion.

I actually laughed when the guy killed his girlfriend by throwing a pole through her chest.

I'd seen worse on Adult Swim.

By the end of the movie everyone was watching me with funny looks.

"You were LAUGHING at it? You said you weren't good with scary movies!"

I replied, "THAT wasn't scary!"

That earned me several funny looks. Tobi screamed, "I WANNA SLEEP WITH DEI-SEMPAI TONIGHT!"

I gagged slightly but kept a straight face. I walked over to the DVD wall and read the titles. I gleamed. "Can I pick another movie?"

Everyone looked confused and I grabbed one.

I looked at Kisame as I dove behind the couch.

Everyone watched as I stuck my hand up over the back, where they could only see my upright palm. "Dun, dun… "

I moved forward a bit and pulled my hand back.

I stuck it back up when I was closer, "Dun, dun…"

My smirk widened as I came within a few feet of Kisame.

"Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun,… DUUUUN!"

I tackled him over from the back of the couch and screamed, "JAWS!"

Everyone laughed slightly and I sat back down in my place as the movie started.

The rest of movie night was awesome.

I asked as the last movie ended, "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Deidara stated, "Tomorrow is training day, Hidori/Morgan."

I frowned, "It's what day?"

Pein answered, "Training day is when we all go outside and spar until someone is declared the winner. I won last year."

I gawked at them and asked, "Can I watch?"

They all smirked, "Sure… since YOU'RE in the matches, too."

I gulped. Oooooh booooy…

.

-!-

 **So, I don't normally comment down here, but I need an opinion. The last 15 chapters have had sentences phrased with the character's form of speaking ('Morgan stated,') in front, and the rest of the sentence following (' "You guys are awesome for reading this story!" '). Should it be reversed? Or kept in the same order? Please let me know in the reviews, I appreciate ANY reviews. Especially you, BizzyLizy. You make this story feel worth posting :) Thanks, y'all!**

 **purpleheart3000**


	16. Chapter 16

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 16**

I was startled to find myself awakened by a heavy weight landing on my torso and I screamed.

In a flurry of covers and sheets and one pillow, whoever was on top of me was thrown off and onto the floor, where I repeatedly whacked a broom I randomly found on their head.

A hand shrouded in sheets lifted to deflect it and I ran out the door, down the hall, and into the kitchen, all in my new pajamas.

I screamed, "SOMEONE ATTACKED ME!"

Everyone paused and stared at me.

Kakuzu, in his boxers, asked, "What the heck are you wearing?"

Deidara, in his muscle shirt and boxers, sighed.

And so forth. I ignored Hidan and his wearing of the birthday suit.

I was wearing a spaghetti strap blue shirt with navy short shorts.

Itachi, in his bathrobe, sighed, "Tobi…"

I breathed in a sigh of relief as Tobi stumbled in, tangled in my sheets.

"Morgan-chan? Where'd you go?"

I sighed and pulled the covers away and tossed them into the hall to be picked up later.

I dropped down, still in my bed clothes, in an empty seat.

Sasori pushed a cup of juice in my direction and I looked into it.

I sighed, pushing it away and slamming my face into the table.

Itachi stated, "We have training day today. You need to be waking up and getting ready."

I looked at him and frowned, "So how does this work exactly?"

I drank my orange juice as he explained.

"It's a lot like the child's game of hide and seeks. The winners of paper, rock, and scissors run and hide in the forest. The loser must wait until noon and then set out in search of any member. As soon as he finds one, he must engage in a battle. Whoever wins that match moves on in search of the next member, and so forth until all the members have fought."

I nodded and placed the cup back on the table.

"So… it's just a game?"

I grinned, though I didn't know why, and stated, "Then game on."

Oh how I would hate/love this game/training.

Hidan lost the paper-rock-scissors.

Itachi used his Sharingan, Deidara used his camera, Sasori used his cool head, Kisame was just fast with his hands, and Pein saw everyone's hands before they even chose with his Rinnegan. Konan copied Pein, Zetsu was arguing but picked the right hand anyway, and Tobi's hand was _somehow_ the first one down.

I just so happened to be lucky and Hidan got stuck with the only scissors.

So at exactly 8 a.m. we all shot off into the woods.

My eyes scanned the area before I stopped, panting. I smirked and lifted my hands into the sign for bird.

I closed my eyes and let my chakra do as it pleased.

My chakra, instead of shooting from me like it did with the tiger sign, shot out like spikes and into ten different directions, phasing through trees and leaving ten perfect trails behind.

I grinned and analyzed my surroundings. Yay for paying attention in my brother's boy scout meetings!

I set up a knife trap with a sapling and hid in the middle of the uppermost branches in a tree.

My chakra spikes had spun and intertwined everywhere like a web, and I knew it would not take long for anyone to hit one of them.

I sighed and smirked. Yay for reading in my English class. that stupid book called 'The Most Dangerous Game" was coming in handy!

I let the chakra trails continue gently weaving through the woods until the sun was right above me.

I let the spikes sink into the earth, each a good five/ten miles or so from my spot.

I felt the time drag on… until someone stepped on one of my trails. A waver in my chakra alerted me instantly of the disruption.

I wasn't sure who but someone was three miles from my position, sensing my chakra trail.

They were standing in the middle of a trail, looking up and down the trail.

I frowned and gulped as the person began in the right direction.

Without even realizing what I was doing, my hands shot up in a flurry of signs and the chakra spun around like a toilet, flushing so fast that my trace was everywhere at once and untraceable.

I took off like lightning through the trees.

As I ran I let the chakra pin into the ground and leave another type of trail.

Soon enough I dropped down and waited.

Through my chakra, I saw all of the Akatsuki… freeze in their spots and stare around.

My chakra had engulfed them all when I'd flushed it, and now I knew where they all were.

One person I guessed do be either Itachi or Sasori pressed his back to a tree… Itachi.

Zetsu was popping in and out of trees to see the chakra's range.

Tobi was doing the same, but even he was confused.

My spikes I'd left released, and the chakra shot out towards each person like a missile.

Itachi was the first to see the spike and jumped out of the way.

The others all did the same, but now the chakra was even more messed up, like a marble cake or a spiral design.

My chakra was low, so I sat and leaned back on a tree and rested. I observed the battles with my chakra sense, taking careful note of everyone's techniques and strategies.

The sun was setting as my chakra jutsu faded away, and I was left blind.

Tobi, Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, Zetsu, and Kisame were out. Pein was "it".

I settled into the tree and relaxed.

I heard explosions behind me around five or so miles away. I jumped to the top of my tree and sought out the battle. It was between Deidara and Pein.

It ended rather quickly, and Deidara was heard cussing over all the miles.

So Pein was still it and Itachi and I were left.

I smiled slightly and jumped to the ground.

My chakra was still low, but I had a good amount left. Enough to at least give myself a chance.

I lifted my hands and placed them on the ground.

A chakra spike as large as a car appeared.

I giggled slightly and poofed up nine clones.

Each touched the spike and we all took off, leaving behind a wild and unstable trail.

The first appeared in front of Pein.

He attacked and it exploded into spikes at him.

A tiny piece hit his cheek and I instantly knew where he was.

The same happened with Itachi.

I then realized something. I was good at this. I knew all of these things, but how? How in the world did I know all of these things? I'd only been in Naruto three weeks at the most! This was weird… what was going on?

But right then, I didn't really have all that much time to worry over this, because just then Itachi and Pein met. The fight was on, and I was one of the top two remaining. Who would I be fighting?

I grinned and waited. My mystery could wait for later. This was far too interesting!


	17. Chapter 17

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 17**

~Deidara~

A loud boom shook the earth. Deidara sighed. "Great… That Uchiha and leader are the last two, then."

Sasori shook his head. "Morgan is still in as well."

Deidara turned around in confusion, "WHAT?!"

Sasori sighed. "You WOULD be the only person to miss her chakra…"

Deidara growled. "I was banned from my bird and I thought she'd got beat big time when that chakra of hers dropped."

Sasori sighed, "Look around you twit, she's not here. That means she's automatically in the top two. Whoever wins, Pein or Itachi, will be after her."

Deidara frowned. "Why should I care?"

"If say… Morgan is Hidori with amnesia or a related event, and say one of them forgets she's a beginner… what will happen?" Sasori replied in an annoyed tone.

Deidara thought for a moment, but scowled and walked into the base. "Hopefully she dies."

~Morgan~

My eyes widened as I used my chakra trackers to observe the fight. It was amazing to see them both battle in a way and place no one else had.

Itachi and his Sharingan VS Leader and his Rinnegan.

I waited for what seemed like an hour before both they both grew completely still.

I shuffled my feet. The battle had been dead even between the two…

I gulped. Neither was moving from the spot.

My heartbeat skyrocketed as Pein began to walk away from the fight and towards the base.

Pein had won! But that also meant that Itachi had lost…

Itachi wasn't moving. I felt a bit worried. Had he been severely injured? And why was Pein walking towards the base? Did he think I was already dead or had lost? But I was still here… What was going on?

I stretched from my spot and prepared to return to the base as I suddenly felt a presence behind me.

I spun around with wide eyes and saw none other than Itachi Uchiha staring me down from atop a cliff.

I gasped and demanded, "What are you doing here?!"

Itachi smirked. "Nice trick trying to keep tabs on all of us. I shred my cloak when I beat Leader-sama, so you thought I was dead."

I gasped as he disappeared from the cliff and appeared in front of me, kunai pressed to my throat.

He sighed. "Too bad you are only an amateur."

And I lost control of my chakra again…

My chakra spikes shot out like thorn bushes around me in defense, white hot to the touch.

"This won't help you," Itachi muttered.

Suddenly fire broke through the tangle of thorns, and Itachi stormed through the opening and slammed a fist into my stomach.

I coughed and was thrown back into a tree as breath was forced from my lungs.

Itachi stood over me as I blacked out.

He looked at me blankly. "You held out until the very end, Hidori."

"I…said…I am not Hidori… my name is Morgan… Itachi…" I replied right before I passed out.

~Back at the base~

Every head shot up and watched as Itachi appeared in the entrance, carrying Morgan in his arms.

Sasori stepped forward and Itachi stated, "She had us all marked, knew where all of us were the entire game."

Everyone frowned. "So how did you take her out?" Kakuzu asked.

Itachi only motioned to the cloak everyone else wore, then to his grey ninja shirt.

They nodded and moved to let him in.

Itachi set her down on her bed in his/Deidara's/Morgan's room. Deidara was sitting by the wall playing with an explosive bird as they entered.

His eyes widened and he shot do his feet. "What happened to her?!"

Itachi sighed, "She passed out when I hit her."

Deidara glared at her. "Serves you right."

Itachi rolled his eyes at his childish partner.

Morgan slept on, huddling into the blankets.

~Morning~

Pein decided to hold a meeting in Team Ita/Dei/Morgan's room the next morning.

He looked around at the assembled members. "We must finish setting up our schedule for this month."

"Of course, we will have group training once a week." Itachi stated.

Deidara muttered, "Hide and Seek is not training. We should switch between games and exercises."

"First week was Hide/Seek, so the second should be solo. Third will be duo hunt, and the last will be another hide and seek." Sasori added.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Itachi sighed, "And my reward for winning this week's challenge?"

Pein closed his eyes. "You can pick… who has to train Morgan."

Itachi glanced to Morgan as she slept.

"I want to train her."

Every eye widened.

"I will begin training her tomorrow morning." Itachi stated.

"Can he DO that?!" Hidan demanded.

Pein frowned. "He beat me fair and square."

Itachi nodded and the meeting ended.

.

Itachi had no idea what he was getting himself into, training a girl with no idea HOW she did anything in the first place… what kind of teacher will he turn out to be? Find out next time on… BLACK ICE!

.

-!-

 **So, I reversed about half of the sentences w/ speaking, and rewrote most of the others. Hope it's better!**

 **purpleheart3000**


	18. Chapter 18

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 18**

I grimaced and kept my eyes shut as I began to wake up. I remembered losing to Itachi in my fight, but that's about it. I was warm, wherever I was.

I was aware enough to figure a few things out. For one thing, I was on my back. For another, I wasn't in my bed. And for the last thing, I was moving.

I shot awake and jerked away from the warmth and onto… cold ground?

I looked up and got a bright shot of sunlight and blinded myself. My eyes flashed several colors of light and kept me from seeing anything.

I blinked and it began to fade.

Someone nearby sighed. "Calm down."

I jerked away from the voice and realized at last what was going on.

Itachi was facing me with his arms crossed, leaning on a tree.

My breath came out in a rush. "Where are we, Itachi?" I asked in a slightly shaky voice.

He frowned. "We are in the mountains."

"And… what are we doing here?"

"That was your only question."

I frowned. He wasn't helping. I stood and dusted myself off.

Another question popped into my head. "How did I get here?"

At that, Itachi smirked and lifted his arms out to show that he'd… carried me.

I went bright red and stood there in shock.

NO WAY!

My eyes were wide as I turned in the opposite direction from him and began to walk. He followed with his hands in his pockets.

"You're going the wrong way."

I frowned and turned another direction and walked for five minutes with his intimidating aura floating behind me.

"Wrong again."

I turned abruptly and into his chest before falling on my butt. Again.

"The base is due north," he said.

I frowned and looked at a tree.

Was moss supposed to be on the north side or the south? Wait… could be the east? Maybe the west. I stood and sighed, annoyed at this situation.

I growled in frustration and turned on Itachi. "What in the world are we here for?!"

"Training," he replied, without any emotion.

I rolled my eyes. "We trained yesterday."

"The Akatsuki train everyday," he replied.

This wasn't a big surprise… I mean they HAD to train a lot to be as good as they were.

I turned to face him again. "Where is Kisame?"

"Base," Itachi stated.

"Deidara?"

"Base, and before you ask, everyone else is at the base today."

I felt my eye twitch before I shook it off.

"So… why are we… alone?"

Hormones… please be quiet…

He frowned. "I should explain."

I raised an eyebrow. Explanations required much talking. I wondered if Itachi really could.

He took a breath. "I am now your sensei. Do what I say," he said simply.

I anime fell and covered my face in irritation. "ITACHI!"

His eyes flickered black a moment as he smiled. A SMILE… not a SMIRK a SMILE.

I took a double take, but it was already gone.

"First you need the basics," he said calmly. He pointed to the ground and we both sat.

He placed his hands in the sign for tiger at his chest. "Draw your chakra out."

I closed my eyes in concentration. I remembered the feeling of releasing chakra and felt my chakra well up inside.

Itachi's hand came down and knocked my hands apart.

"Wrong. Do it with less chakra."

I nodded and tried again.

He whacked my hands again. "You are using too much. Slow down and breathe."

I did as he said and tried to let go of my tension.

"You are still using way too much chakra," he sighed.

I frowned. "Explain better."

"Think of your chakra as a salt shaker. Only the tiniest of grains can get loose, but that is all you need or your food will be bad," he smirked.

I smiled. Longest Itachi sentence ever. And… it had to do with food.

No wait, focus… losing concentration is bad… focus.

I kept that in mind and minimized the feeling of releasing chakra until I felt it shrink into a controlled stream.

The difference was amazing. Instead of immense power I felt… almost proud.

The chakra floated to the surface and covered me entirely, unlike the sharp needle-spiked I had made the last few times.

Itachi nodded. "Very good."

I blinked and he added, "Though you learn slower than a snail."

I lost it and attacked him, grinning. "ITACHI!"

He smirked before escaping my wrath and starting a quick jog down the slope. North.

My body groaned at the very thought, but I took off after him.

He sped up.

I frowned and caught up one more. He sped up. This repeated several times until he was ninja jumping away.

I growled and remembered how ninja put chakra in their feet to jump. I was about to shove it out when I remembered the lesson.

I let a tiny bit out and I shot forward just as easily, and ran at his side.

The chakra I didn't use was powering my body, and I felt rather relaxed, more so than when I was just shoving chakra out.

Itachi stayed with me as I got the hang of running. I grinned and flipped in the air, landing on a branch.

He landed next to me, a smirk on his lips as he jumped ahead and the branch snapped under me.

I flailed around before falling into the ground. Ow…

~Someplace Else ~

The scroll lying across the wood of the desk was being studied very carefully.

The woman reading it glanced up to the group waiting.

"Shikamaru… They have sent their reply."

Sakura had her head bowed. She had read the scroll over the Tsunade's shoulder.

"We have their permission."

Shikamaru looked into the floor as he thought.

"We can kill her! She has no chance against team Asuma!" Ino shouted.

Choji was simply watching Shikamaru's reaction.

Shikamaru looked up and to Kakashi. "Did you see his reaction?"

Kakashi frowned. "I got several interesting facts out of the meeting, things I'd like to discuss alone."

Nodding to Tsunade, he and Shikamaru left the room to began their discussion.

Kakashi stopped a bit down the hall. "She, Hidori, was once very close with a man named Deidara; they grew up together. He is a potential or current member of the Akatsuki. I have no doubt in my mind that Hidori is with him now."

"If we receive the mission to retrieve her… ?" Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi replied grimly, "We will face the entire Akatsuki."

Shikamaru's head shot up, determination glinting in his eyes.

"Whatever it takes."


	19. Chapter 19

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 19**

~Day two of Itachi's three day training program~

The sun warmed my skin as the breeze rushed through my hair, my golden locks billowing out beside me. My blue eyes reflected the river below me. Pink fingers danced over the ground as they searched for pebbles to toss. Plain pale lips turned upwards in a smile. Shoulders relaxed. Bare feet hanging, swinging casually.

I relaxed back onto my arms and let them support me. My neck lolled back as I soaked in the sun. I breathed steadily and calmly.

There has never been a time I have ever felt so calm.

My sensei cooked breakfast over a fire as I relaxed in the water. The cool blue trickled lazily past my legs.

"How do you like your eggs?"

I frowned and turned to him, smiling.

"Itachi-sensei, I still can't believe you're cooking!"

He only grunted and I added, "I like them scrambled."

A plate from Itachi's 'backpack of everything' was handed to me, piled with eggs.

He sat next to me on the bank and quietly watched the clouds as I ate.

Itachi had told me yesterday that this was a three day long trip. He had originally planned on just one, but I learned slowly.

This was day two of my one-on-one training. This was also my fifth day living with the Akatsuki, and my twelfth day inside the world of Naruto. My count might be off, but I'll just keep track from there.

Itachi had told me that the other members were out on wide-range training sessions. I understood why Hidan would need this, and why I needed it as well.

So, as of yesterday, I've finally learned to control my chakra. I also understand how to limit it, and the best way to ninja jump, and to only land on healthy trees.

Itachi is a good teacher. That must be why Sasuke looked up to him so much. He has so much knowledge to share.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I glanced at him. Itachi had retreated back under his damp blanket of mood again and fallen silent.

I sent a tiny bit of chakra to my feet as an experiment. I frowned slightly and stood, closing my eyes.

Red Sharingan eyes followed my every movement.

I laced my feet with chakra and took a tentative step onto the water.

My thoughts flashed back to all that Team Seven and Naruto had learnt in the anime. The chakra had to be even. It had to be calm, perfectly steady.

I concentrated and took another step onto the water.

My eyes opened a crack, and I looked down to find myself standing on the water.

I grinned and looked back to Itachi. "I did it!"

He watched me with a serious look on his face. I giggled in delight.

I took off at a run on the river and smirked at a tree on the bank.

I jumped from the water and onto the bark.

I was jumping on a tree… simple… just control the chakra balance…

The tree was conquered and I ran back down to where Itachi was cleaning up the area around our campsite.

We had camped here late last night after running quite a ways through the forest. If what Itachi said was true, then we were still twenty-seven miles from the base. From inside his backpack of everything, he had pulled out two sets of blankets and disappeared to the top of a tree as a lookout as I slept by the fire. I had woken nearly four hours later to Itachi's slow breaths, trying to be quiet as he bustled about the camp.

Now we're pretty much caught up~!

We packed up again and left the grounds.

Itachi watched ahead and I asked, "What am I learning today, Sensei?!"

"You are going to learn how to use a kunai," he said.

I frowned. Not my forte, but bring it on!

We arrived in a clearing with bamboo poles. I smiled as he handed me a kunai and backed away.

"Don't trust me?" I asked.

He frowned and walked back to me. "You're holding it wrong."

My brow lowered as he grabbed my hand and moved it around, until the kunai was in the right position.

He used his own kunai to make an 'X' on the only tree amongst the bamboo.

"Hit the center."

I frowned and threw the thing as hard as I could.

Itachi caught it as it flew at his head instead. My eyes widened and my cheeks flamed red in embarrassment.

He sighed. "You are throwing it like you throw a ball. Watch."

He closed his eyes and, in the most graceful movement I'd ever seen, lifted his arm.

His eyes opened a crack and his legs moved very slightly.

He swung his arm like a windmill, and the kunai flicked from his wrist and straight into the middle of the 'X'.

He breathed calmly and stepped back.

"Your turn."

I copied his pose and breathed.

Relax… I have to relax…

My arm swung and I flicked the kunai into the lower right line of the 'X'.

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

I beamed.

I had done something like this before.

My dad had taken me camping sometimes when I was little. He had been putting a stake into the ground and had too many in his hands. He had flicked the extras straight into the ground where they stuck straight up perfectly. He had spent all day teaching me how to flick stakes in the ground.

This was similar, though not identical.

Itachi shook his head. "You are throwing them at a downward angle, almost like you were aiming at the ground behind the tree."

I smiled. That was the answer!

I looked to the middle of the 'X' and imagined the ground behind it, where the kunai would hit, its trail being through the middle of the 'X'.

I spun in a circle as I released the knife.

It hit dead center.

The feeling was natural. It helped, having practiced in real life as well.

Itachi nodded and stepped forward.

"You've done quite well… but can you do two at a time?"

Oh boy…

And so the day and the next day flew by. Thirty-eight hours straight of non-stop training with Itachi.

After those hours of practice, I had earned a new nickname.

"Morgan-baka," Itachi muttered.

I grinned at him as another kunai pinned his sleeve to a bamboo pole.

"Again," he said.

"Hai, Sensei!"

I held nine kunai in my hands as I jumped into the air and spun, kunai flying from my fingers.

My laugh echoed around the clearing as each hit its mark.

I landed easily in front of Itachi.

He was smirking.

"That is enough for our training this week. It is time to return to the base." I nodded and ran after him.

As I ran by, his hands ruffled my hair. "Good job, Morgan-baka."

I frowned and glared at him. "I am not a baka!"

He only smirked and walked on ahead.

I ran up to his side, my hands lacing behind my head.

I turned away from him and looked into the trees, unaware as he glanced to me.

What I didn't see was the soft smile on his face and the softened black eyes laughing at me.

Itachi looked at me in thought a moment before smiling more.

~Itachi~

She's so much like Sasuke I could laugh! The way she cheers every time she hits her target, even her sparkling eyes as they beam at me.

I had known the girl a total of six days and some facts were obvious to me. She was clumsy and a total klutz. Her hair was a mess and her clothes usually ending up dirty.

Yet she laughed through it all, so very much like Sasuke…

I smiled to myself as I looked away from her.

I wondered for a brief moment if the two of them would have gotten along well, but shoved it from my mind as I remembered for the millionth time what position Sasuke had set himself… and what I had done to force him on that path… and I sunk back into a black mood.

~Morgan~

I turned back to Itachi, my question dying on my lips as I caught a glimpse of his smile, but it faded faster than I thought humanly possible as he fell back into his world of sad and regretful thoughts.

I smiled softly at him. "I know if I tell you this you won't trust me again… but you did the right thing with your clan. You are doing the right thing with the Akatsuki. You have nothing to regret."

He looked to me with confused eyes that shifted between anger, confusion and surprise.

I looked towards the ground and added, "I know much more than you think, the future you could say."

Itachi looked away from me. "Say nothing more."

I frowned and slowed my pace, keeping a bit behind him now.

He turned his head back to me and smiled slightly.

"But thanks for trying and keeping this quiet."

I nodded with a kind smile on my face.

The Akatsuki were only human.


	20. Chapter 20

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 20**

I was 100% completely wrong. The Akatsuki only SEEMED human. Seriously… if a person is sad, they cry. If people are happy, they laugh or smile. So if someone were angry, it would at least show on their face, right? Right?

Wrong. This statement was 100% false. The Akatsuki were not human. They merely LOOKED human.

I watched Deidara shout at me. And it's WEIRD. His tone was rough and mean. His voice was loud and accusing. But his face was perfectly calm and without emotion.

Deidara was most certainly NOT human. He was some strange species of demon that loved to grow its hair out and put on a show as a human male. I couldn't even believe I liked him in my world. WRONG!

I sighed and began ignoring everything he said as I cleaned the base. Kakuzu tossed a wrapped at me, and I caught it easily and stuffed it in my trash bag.

Deidara persistently followed behind me.

"I can't believe you spent all that time learning to throw a kunai! You are such an idiot! I can't believe you would sink this low, Hidori."

I ignored him. Now, for my sanity's sake, I repeated the mantra I had formed in the last week. 'My name is not Hidori. My name is Morgan. I was in my 14th day trapped inside the world of Naruto.'

I sighed again as I gathered a piece of dried ham off of the floor.

I rolled my eyes at Deidara's insistent blabbering. I had to repeat this information once a day, otherwise I might start believing I actually AM Hidori…

Another whiny voice joined Deidara's.

"Morgan-chaaaan, Tobi is hungry!"

I sighed and handed the bag to Deidara, walking into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

I looked through the cabinets and pulled out the ingredients I needed for a simple recipe - a pasta dish.

The water bubbled and frothed on the stove as I added the noodles and turned away to make the cheese sauce.

I hummed quietly as I quickly sliced the chicken on the cutting board and threw the pieces in a frying pan. I added butter to the cheese mix and chicken at the same time. Mmm… smelled like my kitchen back home.

There was one thing the base lacked, though… a music source in the kitchen.

My voice stopped humming and I quietly sang the lyrics to one of my favorite songs.

"You would not believe your eyes

If ten million fireflies

Lit up the world as I fell asleep

'Cause they'd fill the open air

And leave teardrops everywhere

You'd think me rude

But I would just stand and… stare…

I'd like to make myself believe

That planet Earth turns slowly

It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep

'Cause everything is never as it seems… "

My voice stopped. Hey, that sounded pretty good!

I smiled slightly and stirred the noodles once before searching the cabinets for a strainer.

I stopped as I felt eyes on my back.

I turned towards the door and steadily met Deidara's gaze.

His eyes were widened in awe. "… Hidori?"

I sighed and turned back do the cabinets. "Deidara… my name is Morgan."

He seemed to register my words and nodded slightly to himself. "Morgan…"

I gave him a half smile in response. He glanced at me again before turning and walking out of the kitchen.

I strained the water from the noodles and placed a good amount on each plate.

The sauce poured on top of the noodles by another person's hands.

"Get the meat," Itachi said.

I nodded, thankful for the help, and added the chicken before setting the plates on the table.

Itachi poured drinks ready as everyone filed in.

I sat between Itachi and Sasori on the right side of the table. The table went in a clockwise circle like this:

12 - Deidara. 1- Kisame. 2- Hidan. 3- Kakuzu. 4- Konan. 5- Sasori. 6- Me. 7- Itachi. 8- Tobi. 9- Zetsu. 10- Pein. And the other seats were empty, as if guests were coming. Ha.

I ate quietly until I felt eyes on me again.

I looked up to find Deidara's gawking eyes gazing at me in confusion.

I sighed and pushed my plate away.

"Not hungry," I said, and walked away from the table.

Outside of the base, the wind was blowing rather strongly.

I made sure no one was paying any attention to me before running up the nearest tree.

I sighed and sat there, alone.

Time… I wanted more, I needed it… had to have it, or else my mind would give completely into itself and I would lose myself inside it.

Insanity was on the bridge of my mind, I could feel it even now. Using my chakra felt amazing, and the more I used the better I felt. I could give in at any moment… But I chose not to.

I let my mind wander, and I wondered what happened to Drew. At his name I flinched.

Drew, the guy who'd been nice enough to drive me to practice on the day of our wreck.

I remembered the look on his face as we'd come at the tree. Fear and… and worry. After all, I'd been on the side the tree hit.

My eyes closed and I slipped into sleep.

Deidara found her later that night, leaning on the trunk of the tree, nestles among the highest branches. Her chin was pressed to my chest, and her arms hung limply at my sides.

He called to the others that she had been found, carefully lifting her up.

He watched her face as she frowned in her sleep at the disturbance.

Deidara sighed as he led the others inside and to the room he, she and Itachi were meant to share.

Morgan was set down on the bed as Deidara pushed a third bed into the room and set it between hers and Itachi's.

Itachi stared a moment as he opened his book.

The pages did not turn. "Have you realized it yet?"

Deidara thought the question over. "Realized what? That Morgan isn't Hidori?"

Itachi glanced at him. The man in question smirked. "Not quite. She has had years to change. I have no doubt she could."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "But?"

Deidara sighed aloud, "Hidori… was cruel. And she had no heart in her chest. She didn't like anything but blood. Morgan… or this Hidori… is so different."

Itachi nodded. "I've noticed this as well."

Deidara gave him a quick glare before looking back do Morgan. "You did your research. You know as much of her as I do."

Itachi nodded. "She is nothing like the Hidori you know. No person can change this much. This is my only possible answer," he said, turning a page.

The blond nodded as he changed quickly and lay down on his new bed. His head was positioned just beneath the window.

The stars were gleaming tonight.

"She shocked me today. Her voice… it was nothing like Hidori's."

Itachi frowned. "Sleep."

Deidara didn't grace him with a reply, but soon felt sleep tug at his eyelids.

He had known the girl less than a week. Itachi could plainly see this was a different person through his eyes. Of course, he had yet to make up his own mind about her.

But there was another mystery if she was indeed a different person.

What had happened to the real Hidori?


	21. Chapter 21

**So, I have some news. Don't freak out, I will not stop updating, and I will** **never** **go on hiatus. But I do need to go back to every-other-day updates for a couple reasons:**

 **1) It's a bit difficult to balance editing and my summer college lab work, and**

 **2) If I keep going at this rate, the Christmas Special chapter will end up posted some time in mid-September...**

 **So yeah, hope this doesn't upset too many people, all… (checks story statistics)… 30 of you…** _ **man, that's low**_ … **You should** **totally** **tell your friends if you like the story **wink wink nudge nudge** **end shameless pull for attention** On to the story!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 21**

Dreams… oh horrible and never ending dreams. Nightmares of death. Hate. Everything.

I knew I was asleep, but it was impossible to wake up. My body rolled on the bed as I slept. I could FEEL the sheets wrapped around me, but the nightmare held me, trapped me.

 _I was looking through a mirror. Inside the mirror was me._

 _A girl with my face, my eyes… my hands, my body. She was me, and yet… her mouth was turned up in a bloodthirsty smirk._

 _Her lips parted and sharp teeth glinted at me._

I writhed in my bed.

 _She turned her back to me, and the mirror seemed to spin. Time moved on 'her' side._

 _Now she stood in a room with three people. Drew was there… though he looked "anime-ish", I could still recognize him. One of my best friends from school was there as well… as was Itachi._

 _My hands reached towards the mirror. My friends were all laughing, but 'she' looked straight at me, a dangerous gleam in 'her' eyes, and grinned with so much evil, it practically dripped from 'her' expression._

 _They didn't see it coming. 'She' killed them all, right in front of my eyes. Before Itachi could even activate his Sharingan… they were dead._

My back arched in the sheets. I was scared.

' _She' stood in the center of them all, head facing the ground and hands dripping with their blood._

 _Her hands lifted up so she could see them._

I screamed and thrashed, tangled further in the sheets.

 _Her face tilted so I could see only one eye._

 _It gleamed red, and she tilted her head slightly as she grinned at me, raising a hand to the side of her face._

 _Evil. This was what evil was._

 _She opened her mouth and licked the blood off._

 _A cackle of insane laughter erupted from her as she suddenly charged towards me._

I moaned in real life and felt pain rip through me, finally jolting me from my nightmare. I woke to two sets of arms and ten pairs of eyes… well, nine and a mask.

Screaming, I latched around Itachi's neck, my chest heaving in terror.

He moved as if on instinct and pinned my arms to me in a tight, restraining hug.

With one hand, he pressed my face into his shoulder, which was quickly dampened with my tears. His second hand held my shuddering shoulders still.

I could barely make out voices as my insanity passed.

Itachi listened to them as I ignored the world and felt my adrenaline fade. My eyes were dim, I knew. I had no expression but strangled fear. I twitched slightly against him, still having no control over my body at all.

I could hear what they were saying.

"What happened to her?" Deidara demanded.

Itachi remained silent.

Konan rose and lifted my face up to stare into my eyes.

"She went insane… "

Deidara didn't reply, but Itachi pressed my face back into his shoulder.

"But why? There has to be a reason," Tobi stated.

Kisame looked thoughtful. "Do you think it was that scary movie?"

Itachi shook his head. The motion carried through his shoulders and felt like when a parent rocked a baby - secure. Itachi noticed and patted my shoulders gently. "She was fine during training."

Kisame went silent in thought.

"All you taught her was kunai training, right?" Hidan asked.

Itachi nodded, still watching me.

Sasori glanced at my back. "Did anyone say anything to her? Before she went to bed, I mean… She left the kitchen early, didn't eat much."

Deidara frowned. "Nothing to give her a nightmare."

The others all nodded, and the room fell silent.

"What did you hear that alerted you to come?" Itachi asked.

"Screams."

"A crash… "

"Shouts."

The list was similar all the way through.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Those weren't just normal screams. Those were… blood chilling. That wasn't just a bad dream or nightmare, that was something more."

I couldn't move anything. My body was useless. I mumbled as best I could. "Death… "

It was all I could do, and I closed my eyes. I wasn't sleeping. I could hear what they said. I tried again, "Blood."

I felt Itachi's hands on my face, pulling me away from his shoulder but keeping his arm on my shoulders.

Now I was sitting up and leaning on him. My head was on his shoulder, and his arm was looped around my waist to keep me still.

My eyes felt heavy, but I opened them a crack.

"I didn't do it… I didn't… It wasn't me…"

Itachi seemed to catch on and tilted his head down to look at me.

"Who did you kill?"

I mumbled, "Drew… and you… and…" I stopped and lost it again as I began to cry. My eyes were dim… lifeless. They had no color, but tears rained down from them without pause.

Itachi moved and laid me down on my bed before moving to stand. My hands gripped onto his sleeve.

He sighed and sat back beside me.

Pein's brow furrowed. "We will discuss this more in the morning."

He turned on his heel and left. Konan followed, and soon everyone had returned to their rooms.

Itachi still sat with me.

Deidara sat on his own bed. "What do you think she meant?"

"I will use my Sharingan in the morning to find out," Itachi replied.

Deidara nodded and lay on his bed, staring out the window.

"You know… If you ask me, she must have watched herself kill. From the way she said it… it must have been someone close… "

Itachi nodded in thought and I released his clothes. He moved and got a chair.

"We will take shifts with Morgan, Deidara."

Deidara nodded.

I felt myself slip back to sleep.

Now, I remembered a part from my dream, or maybe it was just a thought related to it… but for whatever reason I heard a voice…

And in a chilling tone… so much like mine, and yet so different…

'She' said, "My name isn't Morgan. I am Hidori. Fear me."

And I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I wanted to die and for this all to end. I wanted to go home. I wanted Drew and everyone with me all back in school. I wanted to wake up in my classroom with a detention… I wanted it all to be over.

But at Itachi's icy touch to my forehead, I knew it was all real… And I felt terror grip me once more.

What if I really was Hidori?

And then I remembered Hidori's face… chilling, icy, cruel… evil.

I made up my mind. I was NOT Hidori, nor would I EVER be anything like her. So say I… Morgan of the Akatsuki.

With that, I slipped into a world of non-sleep, a resting type of dreamless, thoughtless rest. A land where I could not be frightened, a world of release… thank you, Itachi…

.

Itachi pulled his hands from her pressure point and sighed a sigh of relief. Her scream had been one of fright and horror… Sasuke's scream. He glared down at her face, but softened. No… she is not Sasuke. I will not think of her like him.


	22. Chapter 22

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 22**

My morning was hectic, as was the rest of my day.

"MORGAN-CHAN!" Tobi screamed as he suddenly jumped right in front of me.

I looked up, screaming back in his face. "AAAAAGH!"

He echoed me. "AAAAAGH!"

"AAAAAGH!"

"AAAAAGH!"

Then we both whipped our heads towards the hallway and screamed,"ITACHI!"

Itachi walked in to see me and Tobi hugging like idiots. He sighed and picked me up by the back of my shirt.

"I swear… bipolar or something," he muttered.

I grinned. That nightmare was history. I'd never forget it, but what was the point of lingering on a dream? That should be my new motto…

I was thrown into the kitchen and slid to a halt on my face with my butt above my head.

I heard a few laughs and mutters.

I stood up and looked for my plate. Not here.

The table was empty. The microwave had nothing. Refrigerator was desolate of nutrition for my tummy.

I turned to them, eyebrow raised. "Where's my food?"

Deidara glanced to Sasori, who sighed and stood from the table. "We have to give you a physical today after that dream. So you can't eat until after the shot."

"Sh-shot?!" I asked in confusion, feeling a pang of panic.

They nodded. My eyes widened. My mouth opened a tiny bit and I whimpered, "… A shot?"

Sasori picked up a needle as long as my arm.

I groaned and felt faint. No! I won't faint!

I smiled politely. "I think I want a shower really quickly before then! Please forgive me!"

And I walked VERY calmly out of the kitchen before sprinting out the door and into the surrounding woods.

"I DON'T LIKE SHOTS!"

They'd figured me out by then, and I knew they were after me.

"Sorry guys, but I can't do shots!" I screamed back towards them. I couldn't hear them… I just knew they were definitely there.

This was insane! I was NOT getting a shot!

I slid to a halt as Sasori appeared in front of me.

"Nice try," He said as he approached me. I gulped.

Tobi tackled me from behind, and I was pinned to the ground. I wiggled and screamed, "Nooooo!"

Tobi grunted in effort to hold me still as I squirmed.

"Stop being crazy!" he shouted.

His arms caught around mine and his knee pressed into my back. He held my arms up above his head and sat on my butt to hold me down.

"NEEEEEDLESSSSSS!" I screamed.

Sasori sighed and Deidara appeared.

My feet kicked Tobi in the back of the head, and he rolled through the air over my head and into Sasori.

I stood, only for Deidara to grab me from behind. "BEHAVE!"

I roared and threw him over my head into a tree. I figured I had a pretty crazed look on my face.

Kisame's weight landed on my legs, and I was knocked off of my feet again.

He held my legs while Itachi grabbed my arms, and I was suspended in midair between the two.

"HOLD STILL!" they both shouted.

I swung upwards and head butted Itachi in the forehead.

He dropped my arms, and I flipped Kisame, who was still holding my legs, over my head and right into the newly recovered Deidara and back into the tree he hit the first time…

Sasori was back up and looked mad.

He jumped at me, but I jumped over him and caused him to accidentally tackle Kakuzu.

Hidan grabbed my hands and caught me in a position where I couldn't move my upper body or head.

Good thing he was a guy!

I kicked him in the bad place to kick males and he dropped like a rock.

I took a running leap and jumped from Itachi's back, into the branches of the trees, Deidra close on my heels.

Zetsu appeared and I duck between his legs, causing Deidara to tackle into him, and they both fell on top of Kisame.

Tobi appeared in front of me and I freaked out.

My chakra swirled and the spikes pinned him to the tree. "My bad, Tobi!" I kept running.

So to review… Itachi was recovering. Kisame, Deidara, and Zetsu were in a ball at the bottom of a tree. Kakuzu and Sasori were chasing me again. Hidan was still immobile for certain reasons. Tobi was pinned to a tree. Yay… wait… where were Konan and Pein?

I found the swarm of butterflies as I leapt into a clearing.

My chakra burnt them to a crisp.

Kakuzu jumped through the ash at me and I kicked it into his eyes. He stopped and roared out at me. Uh-oh…

Konan appeared in front of me and I shouted, "Oh my god, is Pein stripping?!"

She whipped her head around, scanning the clearing. "Where?"

I kicked her face and she face-planted into Kakuzu, and they fell into the ash. Konan was going to be so P.O'd.

Heh heh… Oh, Itachi was after me again.

Thinking fast, I darted up another tree. I stopped and breathed hard as he appeared in front of me.

"Guess you got me!" I laughed, focusing my eyes on a spot behind him.

He looked at me suspiciously and turned his head to look, and I brought a branch I'd been holding down over the back of his head.

He fell to his knees and lunged at my legs, but I lifted a foot and he slid under and straight into Tobi, and they both landed on the big pile of shinobi in the ash, knocking Sasori down as well…

So, to review once more: Itachi, Tobi, Konan, Kakuzu, and Sasori were in a ball in the ash. Zetsu, Kisame, and Deidara were after me. And Hidan was still suffering from his first loss… Heh… Oh, and Pein still isn't here.

Deidara and Kisame both tackled me out of the tree and to the ground. I coughed roughly from the impact.

"TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!" They shouted.

I struggled to stand with them hanging from my arms. "NEVER!" I screamed back.

Zetsu materialized from a tree and held up Sasori's needle.

"NO!" I then noticed we were beside a small stream.

I threw myself into the water with them still attached and caused them both to land under me in the water.

They let go as they tried to breathe, and I jumped back on the ground. Zetsu shifted into a fighting position just as all the others, even the half drowned Deidara and the drenched Kisame, surrounded me.

All of a sudden, the ground gave out. I smirked. Yay for watching Naruto on TV! They had fallen right into my trap… They all sank down and I stood on the only firm piece of ground.

"Nice try! All I had to do was loosen the earth with my chakra, and I'm free!"

I laughed and jumped over the ring of trapped Akatsuki.

I abruptly found myself in a strange position.

Animal Path held my right arm in a tight grip. Human Path had his arms encircling my waist. Preta Path has my left arm. Asura Path gripped my right leg. Naraka Path had my left leg held tight. And Deva Path, the main one Nagato uses… the one of Yahiko… held a finger to my forehead.

He looked down at me without any emotion. "You evaded us well. Now rest."

I thought I saw his eyes soften as he forced the needle into my arm.

My eyes drooped and I started to collapse.

The other Paths disappeared, and Deva caught me as I fell.

I held onto my last shred of consciousness, murmuring almost silently, as if they were my last words. "Konan… is… a perv…", and I fainted. I was gonna be in trouble in the morning…

~Akatsuki~

Itachi had just pulled himself out of the collapsed ground when Pein appeared. He was holding Morgan in his arms bridal style, raising an eyebrow at his pitiful terrorists. "Seems she got the best of you, eh?"

Deidara flipped his hair in embarrassment. "… She was tough."

Tobi laughed nervously. "But you don't seem all that tired, Leader-san! What did you do?"

Pein smirked, leaning Morgan against a tree and stating very plainly, "I kissed her."

Everyone's jaw dropped, including Konan's.

"WHAT?!"

Pein suddenly laughed, and everyone's shock doubled. He hadn't laughed so easily in a long time…

"Just kidding!"

Everyone anime fell. Pein's sense of humor was enough to … well, take down the Akatsuki all by himself!

He just smiled and kept laughing at them as he scratched the back of his head.

"THAT WAS SO NOT FUNNY!" everyone shouted angrily.

Pein just kept laughing.

Maybe the Akatsuki were human… Maybe…


	23. Chapter 23

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 23**

I was still drowsy from the shot when it wore off and finally let me wake up. Itachi had used his Sharingan on me in my sleep to check my chakra flow, and diagnosed me with "just a dream".

The others must have thought I was a total idiot, but it was one BAD dream…

So there I was, lying in my bed with ten people talking above me. "WE HAD ONE HECK OF A TIME CATCHING YOU YESTERDAY!" Hidan shouted.

I sighed and laughed nervously. "I'm VERY scared of needles…"

One by one they left. Itachi, Deidara, and Tobi stayed. Deidara was just trying to sleep in his bed, though.

Itachi and Tobi were preparing something in the corner.

Itachi looked to Deidara. "We have training here today, Deidara. Please leave."

Deidara glared at Tobi. "Why does HE get to stay?!"

Tobi giggled. "Cause Tobi can do medical stuff!" Deidara looked confused.

"She's going to learn a little about medical ninjas today," Itachi muttered.

Deidara just huffed indignantly and left. I wanted to laugh at his anger, but I still felt funny.

Tobi cleared his throat. "To become a medical ninja, you need extensive knowledge of the human body!"

They handed me a paper quiz with a man cut in two, and were about to fill in the blanks when I did it for them. "Done. Moving on?"

Itachi smirked. "So you know some of this, eh?"

I shrugged. "I took tons of medical classes in school."

Tobi nodded. "Let's work on this, then…"

He took his glove off and made his hand glow blue or green… I couldn't really tell. He then placed it on mine.

"You learn from feeling right? I noticed when you had to focus your chakra through the same points to use them. The feeling of those points is how you remember to use them. So if I use it like this…"

He had learnt so much about me in so little time.

He continued, "You know who I am. But I know you can't become as strong as I am in a million years. So I can train you if I wish. Medical ninjutsu will aid you and the others on your future missions."

I smiled at that, and then realized something. "I have to go on missions?!"

Itachi nodded and Tobi pulled his hand back.

I looked down and saw my hand already glowing a little.

Tobi nodded. "I'll leave the rest to Itachi. Good luck," and he left.

Itachi turned back to me. "Let's get started."

I smiled up at him as I sat up. "Ai, Sensei!"

Itachi locked us in his room, and Deidara was forced to room with Sasori.

During this training, two days passed. Two days without sleep, and I still couldn't do it right.

Itachi sighed and rubbed his temples, grabbing a kunai from his pocket.

"You have zero motivation. I guess I'll just have to make some."

His arm came down.

I flinched and felt blood spatter my face, my eyes flying open.

Itachi knelt in front of me, blood oozing from the wound.

"… It would seem I need a doctor."

My eyes widened. He'd cut deep into his forearm. So deep that if I didn't get the hang of the jutsu right now… he could…

I gulped and shouted, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"

I pressed my hands to the wound and tied a pillowcase around the upper part of his arm.

I cursed under my breath as I treated it how I would in America.

"If you don't use ninjutsu I will die," He stated, his tone neutral.

My face contorted in horror and I groaned. "But I can't!"

He frowned. "Then I die."

I didn't know what to do anymore.

I roared in frustration and pressed my fingers back over the wound. I felt his pulse as the blood gushed out of the vein.

My eyes closed in concentration.

Tobi's way wouldn't work; It just didn't suit me. Medical ninjutsu and I were incompatible.

I couldn't even remember what Tobi's jutsu felt like.

My mind thought of another way, using the feeling of how I normally used chakra. I felt my mind focus, and I let my chakra out how I usually did.

My hands glowed blue but I hardly paid attention, only nodding in brief satisfaction.

Itachi watched as his arm healed.

I let go and let out a sigh of relief.

"Not even a scar," Itachi murmured.

I glared and stood. "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Yes."

I turned and darted from the room, heading for the living room.

Everyone seemed surprised. I stormed over to them but said nothing.

Tobi suddenly popped up. "Guess what, Morgan?"

I braced my arms on the couch, exhausted from my ordeal. "What now, Ma-… Tobi?"

He tackled me.

"TOBI HAS A BOO-BOO!"

I groaned and the others caught on. Soon there was a line of minor wounds for me to heal.

Tobi sighed. "Morgan shouldn't have to do this."

I sighed in relief. Exactly! Thank you Tobi!

Tobi nodded and crosses his arms. "She doesn't even look like a nurse!"

Ten minutes later, they showed up in front of me with one of those 'sexy nurse' costumes. Great. I stood in front of them all, everyone looking at me as I held the outfit as far from my body as possible.

I groaned as Tobi popped up in front of me. "Deidara got his arm blown off again!"

I frowned as he walked in, looking annoyed.

Hidan was smirking. "Told you I'd win the fight!"

Deidara looked annoyed.

I felt lightheaded. So… much… blood… holding his arm… I think I'm gonna…

I passed out.

Deidara stood over me. "You seriously think she's ready for tomorrow, Itachi?"

Itachi nodded, walking into the room. "I do. The mission should move smoothly. She does well in a bind."

Everyone nodded.

Deidara turned to Pein. "Mission Accepted!"

He nodded and walked away.

My first ever mission and I'm unconscious. Lord help me…


	24. Chapter 24

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 24**

Pein stood in front of me in the office with a look of annoyance on his face. "Of course the Akatsuki have missions."

Well, I knew that they had missions, but I didn't think they were these kinds of missions.

The man standing beside him was eyeing me with disdain.

"You're sending a woman to protect me, Pein-sama?"

Pein nodded and pointed as the door opened. Sasori and Deidara walked in, looking bored.

"These are your real escorts. Morgan here is only on a trail to find her potential."

I smiled and waved but he glared. "Name's Kan."

I waved again and tilted my head slightly, but let my hand fall to my side in defeat when he ignored me.

"Where is it, exactly, that we are taking him?" Sasori asked.

Pein reached to his desk and handed Sasori a paper. "You are escorting him to the Village Hidden in the Mist."

"Then why not send Kisame? He should know more than we to," Deidara asked, glancing at the map.

Pein looked back at his desk. "They are on another mission in the Land of Fire."

I was REALLY glad I wasn't on THAT mission.

Kan (pronounced kah-n not caa-n.) was a man taller than me, but shorter than Kisame by several inches. He had spiky brown hair to his shoulders. He wore a plated shirt with armor underneath. His pants reminded me of the Akatsuki's, though, and he wore your average traveler's shoes.

He made a rude sound after he noticed me looking.

I turned to Deidara. "Will we back in time for the 'All vs. All' training? I won't just come in second this time!"

Kan looked confused.

"Though Sasori and Deidara are veterans… Morgan has much skill herself." Pein stated.

I smirked at his surprised stare.

~Konoha~

Shikamaru looked down at the folder in front of him. "So this is my team, eh?"

The Hokage nodded her head. He sighed. "Right…"

On the list was as follows: Ino, Choji, Asuma, Kakashi, Sakura, Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Everyone who was close to her?"

Tsunade looked at the doorway as the others all entered at once. "Exactly."

Kotetsu looked suspicious of the folder and asked, "What kind of mission is this?"

Shikamaru thumped it with his knuckles. "Our mission to bring 'her' back," he replied.

Izumo flinched. "What's the plan?"

Shikamaru smirked. "I'm glad you asked…" *whispers as he explained the rest*…

~Road to Kirigakure~

We'd been traveling for a week or so. Deidara and Sasori were intent on walking all the way there, but at least they weren't the ones who had to put up with Kan's nagging.

"You're a ninja, right girlie? Why not just let me ride your back to my destination?"

I sighed, but Deidara spoke before I could deliver my retort. "Morgan is not a mule. Just because she is new does not mean she has to listen to you."

Sasori turned to look back at Kan as well. "We are Akatsuki. If you would like to live through this mission, you will take this to mind."

Wow… when Sasori is in his puppet form he normally doesn't talk.

All the same, I can't wait to visit another village! I'll even put up with Kan if I get to travel the world of Naruto!

I laced my hands together behind my head.

Still. Who would have thought the Akatsuki had to escort people on missions? Oh well.

Kan was talking again. Should I pay attention?

I decided to listen, because he was suddenly spoke more quietly. "So why are you a ninja? You're pretty enough to get paid better as a hooker."

I felt my jaw drop in shock and stopped walking.

He smirked rudely as he caught up to Sasori and Deidara in front of us, who hadn't heard the insult.

I growled in anger and threw seven kunai in my frustration at him. Oops… I sure hope my aim was good.

Deidara's eye widened as the man was pinned, face first, into a tree by his clothes.

This man was aiming looks at me full of hatred and spite. I knew something was up… he would cause trouble sooner or later…

When I stopped next to Kan, Deidara seemed to realize what was going on and kept walking.

I lifted a kunai to his neck, and Kan quickly ceased his efforts to free himself. "I like being a ninja. I would so much rather be training with my friends than be stuck here escorting you! And I am virgin, thank you very much!"

Sasori and Deidara froze in their tracks. A wave of ice seemed to roll over them both.

I blushed. Oops. Too much information.

I released Kan and walked behind everyone as I slipped my kunai back into their holster.

Deidara turned ever so slightly and called to me. "We're here."

My eyes widened as I rushed forward and past them, excitement overshadowing my brief fury.

~Deidara, Sasori and Kan~

Kan raised an eyebrow as Morgan ran forward. "She's a weird girl to be a ninja."

Sasori looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "She's cunning, knows what she's doing. Good at what she does and knows it."

Kan nodded. "Scary girl."

Deidara smirked but said nothing, watching as she looked out over the water ahead of them. They had come at an angle so as to not cross the ocean, but take a bridge. They had crossed said bridge a while back, and it had disappeared into the mist.

Morgan laughed as she ran ahead, but Deidara caught the back of her cloak.

"Hold on."

~Morgan~

I turned to him in confusion. Deidara pointed a hand towards the city. "You see that guy over there?"

I looked, and my eyes widened. "Shikamaru," I whispered in shock.

Deidara watched my expression. "I see… Well then, let's get you into costume."

I frowned, and as I turned in confusion, his hands appeared in front of my face. "Transform!"

Once the cloud of smoke dissipated, I looked down at myself. Oh good lord… I had boobs so big I couldn't see my feet.

My growl told him that I didn't approve. He smirked. "If you want it different, change it yourself."

I was about to try as an old woman suddenly walked past us. "What a lovely couple!" she cooed.

I would have just been embarrassed, but she wasn't speaking about Deidara and me, or Sasori and me… it was Kan and me…

My eye twitched.

As soon as she left I looked at Deidara. He looked around fourteen with black and grey hair in a spiky style.

I frowned and transformed again.

I was an exact duplicate of Deidara. I slung an arm around his neck, smirking. "Whaz up bro?"

Deidara sighed. "Just come on."

I followed with my hands linked behind my head.

Deidara's were crossed in exasperation.

Sasori was a red haired girl. Odd choice.

Kan just walked in like he owned the place.

I kept walking until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw none other than Kakashi.

He asked very simply, "Have you seen this girl?" I looked at his poster.

It was 'her'.

I made myself look calm, but internally I was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Who is this?"

I couldn't look away. It was as if the face were a magnet. Hidori was there, her bloodthirsty eyes glittering. Her smile and her fangs…

I wanted to scream, but my voice wouldn't surface. My throat closed off. I swore I saw her lips move and her tongue lick her lips.

Deidara's hand suddenly gripped my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sir… my brother is… mentally inefficient. Please excuse him. May I help you instead?"

Kakashi handed him the picture. "You know the girl? Seen her?"

Deidara frowned. "Sorry I can't help you here. My brother and I have been on a one way track all the way here from the Land of Tea… I'm sorry once more."

Kakashi nodded and thanked us before walking off to the next person.

I felt myself being turned as Deidara pushed my shoulder. "I thought the nightmare no longer affected you," he whispered harshly.

I replied shakily, "Uh… N-n-no…"

He looked down as my hand clamped around his, still careful not to touch the mouths there, then back to my face. My wide eyes showed my failing control. He cursed. "Don't struggle," he hissed.

He picked me up in his arms and ran at the pace of a normal person through the town and to the hotel Sasori was standing in front of.

Sasori, still in his red haired girl disguise, frowned at us. He saw my strangled expression and led the way in.

Kan was already sitting on one of the beds. Sasori stepped out of the way and Deidara laid me on another bed, the both of us transforming back into our normal forms.

Kan looked over at me. "What happened? Were we attacked?"

Sasori transformed back into his normal form, the one with red hair and a human-like figure. He stood above me, watching my face. He reached down, opening my eyes wider and checking my pulse.

"Panic attack," he stated.

Deidara made a rude sound in his throat and glared at me as I lay still, catching my breath.

Kan rolled his eyes and smirked. "Might as well kill a useless ninja, eh?"

He moved faster than the others could react and shoved a knife against my throat.

"DIE HIDORI!" he laughed.

My panic disappeared. I knew what to do. And without thinking… I killed. Again.


	25. Chapter 25

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 25**

I watched as Kan fell to the ground.

Deidara sighed and stretched his arms out as he stood.

"So that's how this mission is turning. Great, I was just getting bored."

Kan's friends attacked a second later.

Deidara's hand reached into his clay pouch. Sasori's strings shot out as he tried to summon a puppet. Too late…

I felt my control slip again and I let loose. Chakra spikes shot from my hands and stabbed them each directly through the heart.

It felt good.

Deidara and Sasori both turned with shocked looks on their faces.

I smirked at them as the men fell.

"This happens a lot?" I ask.

Deidara just nodded, the look of shock slowly fading from his face. "They think they can beat us if they catch us off guard. We normally just go with the flow and take their bounty in afterwards."

I knelt down and searched through their pockets. "Think Kakuzu would mind turning them in? I need to do a little something here."

Deidara lifted up a hand and waved lazily as he walked out the door.

"I'll call him."

I jumped out the window and landed on the roof of a nearby shop.

I smirked… those foolish Konoha ninja were here for me… I reached down and grabbed a kunai.

No, wait! What am I doing?! I'm losing it again, I can't keep control! The chakra! It's taking over my mind!

My other hand gripped the one holding the kunai, trembling with fear.

"I can't… I won't do it!"

Deidara jumped on the roof behind me and pinned my arms to my chest.

"I knew you couldn't do it."

He sighed and the clay bird poofed into existence beside us.

"Sasori no Danna, it's time to go."

Sasori appeared on the bird and Deidara lifted me up.

The bird flapped its wings once and we soared high into the sky.

I saw Kotetsu and Izumo look up and see me.

Pain flickered through my chest at seeing their faces again, especially when their expressions contorted in horror.

I clawed at Deidara's hands, leaving scratches as I tried to escape and jump from the bird.

"Calm down. If I let you go, you'll lose it again." Deidara growled.

I relaxed and leaned on him in defeat.

Deidara sighed. "… Becoming more and more like 'her' everyday."

I flinched and he added, "It seems Itachi will have to go through with his treatment for you after all."

I sighed, trying to get myself under control. My chakra glowed on my hands, and the marks I'd made on Deidara's hands faded, the blood evaporating.

"Thanks for grabbing me back on the roof," I muttered, and he nodded. "No problem."

Suddenly the loss of chakra stabbed through me. I gasped and collapsed against Deidara.

He sighed. "You have chakra and can use it well. But you use way too much at once…"

I only nodded and passed out.

~Konoha Ninja~

Kotetsu called to the other ninja, who appeared immediately.

"She was up there! She was on top of a huge white bird!" Izumo shouted.

Shikamaru gave them a scathing look. "… Really? They just 'flew away' on a giant bird?"

Kakashi leaned against a building. "Something has been bugging me for a while."

Shika looked over his shoulder at him. "What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked out over the building. "Some travelers passed through here earlier… I've been all over this city fifteen times and haven't seen them since."

Izumo cursed. "So you think one of them was her in disguise?"

Kakashi shrugged. "If it was, it was an excellent disguised. I couldn't tell she was using a jutsu. The two others with her were just as good."

"The Akatsuki, you think?" Sakura asked, looking worried.

Kakashi nodded. "If my hunch was right, that's exactly who they were."

"So we are no longer just on a search and retrieve mission. This is now qualified as an 'S' rank infiltration mission. We must search out the base of the infamous Akatsuki," Shikamaru said.

Choji shuffled his feet nervously. "W-we have to fight a-all of them?"

Shikamaru's hands clenched into fists. "No. I am going ahead as soon as I get the information I need. Kakashi and I will continue on. The rest of you will return to Konoha to ask for reinforcements. I will send back details later."

Sakura fixed him with a stern glare. "You will need a medic ninja!"

Kakashi sighed. "She has a point. But we need someone else…"

"Naruto…" everyone muttered at the same time.

Shikamaru closed his eyes in thought before nodding at the group. Everyone dispersed but his new team.

Kakashi stood from the building he'd been leaning on. "I am going to check and see if the hotels saw them."

Sakura glanced at him before running off to ask people on the street about the travelers.

Shikamaru looked towards the horizon.

"You are coming home."

~Morgan~

I registered a few things as I woke up. I was lying on my side. The sun was up. I was in the shade. A breeze was blowing over my face. I was covered up with something up to my nose. Someone's Akatsuki cloak.

I curled into the cloth as my ears zeroed in on two familiar voices nearby.

"We still have a few days before our rendezvous anyway."

Deidara.

"But she needs treatment," Sasori's voice answered.

Deidara snorted. "Why should I care?"

I looked around without letting them know I had woken. We were surrounded by trees on all sides, and Deidara and Sasori were sitting beside a fire where a rabbit was cooking.

Deidara sighed. "Explain something to me then."

Sasori nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Why is the Akatsuki so taken with her?"

Sasori shrugged. "Several reasons. If you know a person's past well, enough it becomes evident. You think of her as your long lost best friend. Itachi thinks of her as another version of Sasuke. I think of her as the sister I could have had. Pein thinks of her, in my opinion, like his own child, but I may be wrong there. Kakuzu and Hidan just find her amusing. Kisame is attracted to her simply because she isn't frightened of him. Tobi likes everyone. Zetsu… well, they tolerate one another, and she and Konan are like sisters with issues."

Deidara scoffed and replied sarcastically, "One messed up family, eh?"

I frowned. That's not right…

I sat up.

"Why do you all think that way?"

They both look shocked.

I hugged the cloak to me more tightly, my volume rising. "How is this fair to me?"

Deidara's eye widened as I shakily stood.

"I am not Hidori! I am not Sasuke! Pein isn't my dad! I am not anyone's sister! I won't be thought of as some replacement, I refuse!"

I shot desperate glances at both of them.

Deidara just watched my expression. "Just when I'm positive she's really Hidori, too."

My frustration hit the boiling point.

"I said to STOP!" I shouted.

The chakra spike shot from my hand and ripped through Deidara's shoulder, blood flying everywhere.

I ran forward, getting in his face and grabbing the front of his shirt.

Wait, the net of his shirt? … He let me sleep with his cloak?

Wait, not important right now.

"Who do you think you are?!" I shouted, my free hand dangerously close to punching him.

His entire facial expression changed…

His angry and hateful look morphed entirely. His eyes gleamed with disappointment, and his smirk morphed into a concerned frown.

I glared at him. "I know exactly who you are! You're just some guy who thinks just like every other guy, that any girl can replace the last! Well, I won't be like them! I won't be like Hidori! Never!"

I gave up trying to hold back. My fist collided with his face several times, until I became too weak to move and fell over.

He caught me and held me up, like a parent holding a tired child.

I breathed in a sob. He smelled just like spice and cinnamon. Just like the cloak in my hands.

My body shook and I stood and screamed again, "Why can't you just see me for who I am!"

My chakra exploded all over again, and Deidara was healed to perfection. Every stitch Kakuzu used on his arms was blasted away, healed completely. Every scar faded. Every blemish healed.

My anger could be used for healing as much as pain…

Deidara caught me again as my legs went limp.

"I take it back, Sasori. We are heading straight back to the base. This is the second time in a row that she has lost it."

My senses rejected Deidara's smell, and I convinced myself I hated it.

He could think of me as 'her' all he wants, but I won't sink to that level! I won't become Hidori Morino!


	26. Chapter 26

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 26**

My body was too weak to fight back. Itachi forced my eyes open and shined a light on them.

"Dilated…" he muttered as he continued his examination. He pressed two fingers to my neck.

"Pulse is just above average."

Itachi sat me up and held a finger in front of my eyes.

"As far as I can see, it's mental only."

I didn't even have the energy to smile or frown at him.

Deidara held me still. "Do it, Itachi."

Itachi nodded and positioned his hands into a seal.

"Mongekyou!"

I found myself in a world of my dreams once more.

Itachi looked back to me and nodded encouragingly.

I let my consciousness fade away and slept as he roamed my memories.

When I wake up… I have the feeling something will be here…

…

 _Drew and I are walking through Konoha. His anime form smiles at me. We are talking about the crash._

" _You know… when I saw that tree coming for us… I really thought we were dead. But to think we ended up here, of all places!"_

 _I smile and laugh, "I know! It's so strange!"_

 _His face grew dim. "Morgan… I thought I was alone. I thought since you'd hit the tree you were the dead one… and because you sacrificed yourself I was here… When I saw Hidori…"_

That was all I heard. Sharp pain flashed through my head, and my heart pounded in my chest.

I snapped back from the dream and clung to whoever was closest… Itachi.

He nodded to me. "I understand now."

Deidara and the others all watched, waiting for Itachi's diagnosis.

"Morgan is scared to death at the very mentioning of Hidori. She believes, as we say, that she is Hidori and fears to lose herself and become her. She fights her own instincts in desperation to avoid that outcome," Itachi stated very simply.

That was a lot of words for the Uchiha.

I scowled. Enough of my energy had returned. "You…"

Everyone looked at me. I glared at Itachi. "You… used my memories of Drew to test that theory. Don't…"

I groaned. The chakra loss was causing me pain.

Itachi frowned. "The only memories I watched were those with Hidori in it. I assume Drew is that boy from the nightmare?"

I was too tired to put up a fight. "Yes."

Deidara looked confused. "Who's Drew?"

"Must be her boyfriend," Sasori whispered.

Deidara looked shocked. "Whaaaat?!"

I shook my head tiredly. "No… a close friend."

Tobi bounced up onto my bed and covered me in a hug. "Morgan is sad! Did Drew get hurt?"

I flinched but managed to give a half-smile. "No, but I got hurt."

I remembered that tree. Now, in this world, I could have dodged that. There, I was sure I'd be dead.

Drew… was he dead? Was he okay? Was he at his home now? Was he at school? In the hospital, maybe…

Hidan stood and thumped my shoulder. "Whatever. Past is past. Get a hold of yourself."

He left the room, Kakuzu following him out the door.

Zetsu walked out without a word.

Konan smiled at me before pulling Pein outside.

Tobi leaned back to sit beside me.

"Hidan has a good point, sister! You can just forget it now! We're here for you!"

I felt a smile appear on my face. "Right…"

I stood and bowed to Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, Itachi and Tobi.

"I am very sorry. I will train very hard and become strong enough to overcome this."

A proud grin crossed Deidara's face. Itachi smirked confidently and crossed his arms. Sasori nodded with a grin. Tobi laughed. Kisame leant against the wall and watched everyone with an amused gleam in his eyes.

I kept that scene in my mind when I fell asleep a bit later, my subconscious mercifully filled with peaceful dreams.


	27. Chapter 27

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 27**

I can't really be seeing this. This isn't real. This is just a prank.

My mind was in overdrive, and I laughed nervously. "You're just kidding, right?"

They all rapidly shook their heads. "No! You have to be mine!"

I gaped at them.

Every member of the Akatsuki… Konan included… were kneeling on one knee in front of me and holding up their Akatsuki ring.

I slowly shook my head, mouth still agape. "This is so funny! Great joke… It IS a joke right?"

"You're taking this wrong," Itachi sighed.

Hidan rolled his eyes. "We're asking you to be our partner in the team competitions!"

I sighed in relief. Having nine men and a woman ask me to marry them was a bit much.

Pein sighed. "I guess we have to do this the old fashion way - drawing names."

Okay, so here are the rules to Akatsuki Flag Tag.

Rule 1: Teams are split into teams of two, with the remaining person in the middle guarding the goal.

Rule 2: Teammates are to be attached to one another. If the two are separated, they are disqualified.

Rule 3: Flags are to be hidden wherever the goal keeper wishes.

Rule 4: Each team has ten different flags do find. They must be found before the other team.

Rule 5: Another team can take your teams' flag and hide it.

Rule 6: The capturing team of the opponent's flag may only handle a flag that is not theirs for ten minutes before leaving it. (Disobeying this results in disqualification from the game.)

Rule 7: Once you have one flag, you must make it to the goal and pin it in your post before the keeper can stop you. (Death could occur.)

Rule 8: First team to gather all of their flags wins and gains the prize.

…

What an intense game of flag tag.

I was warned that fights usually break out between groups.

Now, as I faced Pein and eye the bag with the names in it, I became very worried very quickly.

If I ended up as keeper, I could be seriously hurt… or killed. That was an option as well.

So, Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame, Konan, Sasori, and I were going to pull out names.

There were five names inside the bag and one blank paper. Whoever pulled the blank piece was keeper. Whoever's name you got was your partner.

We all reached in and pulled a paper out at the same time.

I took a deep breath.

We opened our papers

I let out a sigh of relief. "Itachi."

He nodded and walked to my side.

Deidara and Hidan are on a team. Kisame got Zetsu. Konan and Pein are together. Sasori got Tobi. Kakuzu was keeper.

Water Team: Kisame and Zetsu, aqua.

Shadow Team: Itachi and me, black.

Light Team: Deidara and Hidan, white.

Pain Team: Pein and Konan, purple.

Burning Team: Sasori and Tobi, red.

Pein walked by with a bunch of handcuffs.

It locked around mine and Itachi's wrists. Wait a sec… handcuffs?

"It makes it more difficult and forces us to work together more," Itachi stated.

I nodded. I was a long distance fighter with my spikes. I wouldn't need the physical maneuvers.

Kakuzu nodded and ran off with each team's flags.

Itachi leaned over and started whispering our strategy.

I just nodded, too excited to really pay attention.

I let my thoughts wander, remembering myself in gym class playing with Drew and my friends. It was so simple then… no crazy acrobatics, no jutsus, no fear of death…

I felt a jerk on my hand and I was yanked forward.

"That's the sign to go!" Itachi shouted over the deafening roar of a bomb.

We ran together past the struggling Deidara and Hidan.

Itachi activated his Sharingan.

"Use that jutsu to help you find them," he murmured.

I frowned. "I'll need my hand for that."

He picked me up in his arms, bridal style, and moved his hands so I could move mine freely.

I concentrated.

My chakra shot out from me like arrows.

They flashed all over the ground, faster than lightning.

I'm getting better.

They phased through trees. One pinned itself in the post where Kakuzu was.

I moved my hands, and the lines of chakra swished like a whirlpool and the chakra mapped out the area. I can see everything.

… Hidan and Deidara are amazingly close to the Aqua Team's flag.

Itachi glanced at me. "I see your chakra lines. Our closest target is a half mile in the northeast direction."

He released me, and we jumped through the trees.

Hidan foolishly threw the Aqua Team's flag into a pond. Kisame was a good swimmer… the point?

Burning Team had found their first flag, but was in a fight with Pain Team.

Itachi and I were nearing flag number one, Light Team close on our heels.

"Decoys," Itachi muttered.

I nodded and chakra spikes formed in the ground behind me. Behind us, nine pairs of Itachi and I appeared. They ran off, quickly reaching Light Team and throwing them off our trail.

We found our first flag in the middle of a lake sticking up from a rock. We leapt across in perfect synchroneity and grabbed it.

Kakuzu was exactly one mile from us. Burning Team had scored. Dang Madara…

Itachi and I sped up and faced Kakuzu.

He was prepared, with each of his hearts ready for battle.

Itachi and I dodged to the side, and I spiked one of the hearts through the head, killing it.

Itachi stabbed our flag into the post.

We turned on our heels and took off after flag number two.

That time when we returned, we found Zetsu and Kisame fighting Kakuzu, and we scored again without trying.

Score was as follows:

Burning Team: three flags

Shadow Team: Two flags

Aqua Team: Still working on their first

Pein Team: one flag

Light Team: one flag

We darted through the trees. Burning Team was stalled by one of our chakra clones and thrown off guard.

Itachi found one of their flags and ditched it off a cliff and into a hole he claimed was 'bottomless'.

Finding another flag and running back to the posts, we slid under Kakuzu's third heart as I pinned the flag into position.

We were tied for first now!

…

Score:

Burning Team: five flags

Shadow Team: five flags

Aqua Team: three flags

Light Team: two flags

Pain Team: three flags

We hid another team's flag between two boulders… Team Burning's…

We scored two more without any problems from the occupied Kakuzu.

Three more to go…

Tobi and I met as both our teams skidded to a halt in front of one another.

Sasori smirked. "Getting tired?"

"Not yet, splinter!" I laughed.

He smirked, and Tobi adopted a questioning pose. "Two of our flags seem to have gone 'poof'!"

"Maybe I ate them," I deadpanned.

Tobi just sighed. "Morgan isn't fat."

Just then, Light Team stormed in and started fighting with Burning Team.

Itachi and I gathered our next flag.

We scored again until only one flag remained.

We had it in our grasp.

We arrived in front of Kakuzu. His last two hearts were glaring us down.

Score:

Burning Team: nine flags

Shadow Team: nine flags

Aqua Team: six flags

Light Team: eight flags

Pain Team: nine flags

"I won't let you score, kid," Kakuzu said very simply.

I smirked. "Bring it old man."

Itachi and I attacked.

We was so close.

That was, until I lost control of my chakra…


	28. Chapter 28

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 28**

I knew what would happen an instant before it did. A chakra spike shot out from me at Kakuzu. It pierced him straight through the heart. I knew he had the other hearts, but the fear and panic remained, and I froze in horror.

Itachi shoved our flag into the post. We were too late. In the moment I had freaked, Team Burning had scored. We were second. Sasori and Tobi high-fived.

Itachi turned to me. I was shaking. I had almost lost all sense in my fright.

Kakuzu stood up as another heart replaced his old.

"I should use your heart as a replacement, kid."

I only closed my eyes and shuddered.

Itachi leaned in and supported my weight as my legs began to shake. "Relax and breathe."

I did as he said as the other teams arrived.

Deidara's eyes widened at me and Itachi.

Itachi's shoulder was against my back, and my head rested on his neck. I was breathing hard, both from my panic and exhaustion from the game.

Pein sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Looks like you win. What are your conditions?"

Tobi rubbed his mask where his chin should be. "I want Morgan-chan to get her own room!"

I had an eye twitch. He was wasting his win on me.

Sasori frowned. "I…" He smirked. "I want Morgan to become a maid for one entire day."

Oh good Lord…

"I am NOT wearing this!" I screamed from the bathroom.

Deidara and Itachi were glaring challenges at one another to go check on me.

Itachi stood and walked to the bathroom, leaning against the closed door. "Just come out."

"No way! You try this on and I will!"

Itachi sighed. "You have five seconds."

I didn't answer.

Itachi opened the door and walked in.

He darted out a second later with red cheeks.

"Was she still changing?" Deidara asked in a confused tone.

Itachi muttered under his breath, "Maid outfit… way too…"

I walked out.

The skirt ended higher than mid-thigh. The top was too tight and squeezed.

Deidara placed a hand over his eye and walked into a wall on his way to the door without a word to anyone. Itachi turned his back to me.

I felt like a complete moron.

I then walked out and into the hall.

Without even responding to the stares and red cheeks, I walked to the kitchen.

Sasori wanted me to fix a dish he designed. The ingredients… were all either on the top shelf or the bottom one.

I banged my head on the wall and groaned.

Everyone had walked into the room to watch.

My chakra swirled and a spike came up between Hidan's staring eyes. "Keep your gaze on someplace other than my personals."

Hidan was banished from my's kitchen.

Sasori sighed. "I thought you would make a bigger deal out of this… You're no fun at all."

~special edition of my thoughts~

Me: HOLY CRAP ITACHI IS STARING AT MY… OH MY LORD! DEIDARA IS TOO! KISAME AND THE OTHERS ARE ALL STARING! OH GOOD LORD SAVE ME! NO WAIT, DON'T! I'M IN HEAVEN! HE'S STILL STARING! OMG!

~end of crazed thoughts~

After a while, Itachi helped out and I didn't have to bend over or squat anymore.

Deidara left with red cheeks. Kakuzu passed out from overheat. Not sure if he stared too long, or the kitchen was just hot.

Half an hour later, I cussed as I realized the last ingredient was in the highest cabinet.

I climbed up onto the counter and had to stand on my toes to reach it.

I heard six bodies hit the floor behind me.

Kisame, Tobi, Sasori, Pein, Itachi and Zetsu had all collapsed on the floor with red cheeks and bloody noses.

Konan walked by with a huge broom and pushed them out the door. She saluted me. "You're brave, Morgan!"

I'd rather have died than let them see me like that.

So why not… alter their memories, just a wee bit… only a little bit!

As I poured drinks, I added a little sleeping pill to each drink and waited…

I should have known that nothing ever goes as planned in the Akatsuki. Apparently, they all either have insomnia or the pills don't work anymore. Either way, they all just ended up high.

So as I ran through the base trying to avoid nine hormonal, high men, I realized AGAIN that I was in deep trouble.

"Crap, crap, crap!" I shouted as I run.

I slid to a halt as three caught up to me.

"Maid running through a base of S rank criminals… is bad." I muttered to myself.

I jumped over someone and kicked the nearest person.

I screamed as someone grabbed my arm.

"GET OFF OF ME!" I shouted.

I flung that person away and ran in several circles waving my arms, until one person accidentally hit a gong and the entire base shook.

Deidara woke up from happy chasing the mad land and gaped. "Where are we?! What in the world are you wearing?!"

I blushed and looked away. Itachi stumbled towards me and caught my shoulder before falling over. He groaned a bit. "What happened?"

I laughed nervously and said, "Sasori wanted me to wear the maid outfit and I did. You all got high and chased me. I kicked your butts."

I got several odd looks.

Hidan ran in. "You are SO not Jashin!"

I felt my eye twitch. He thought he was chasing Jashin in a maid outfit? Weirdo.

I reminded myself very simply… They are men with mental issues. Must stay calm. The Akatsuki are nuts.


	29. Chapter 29

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 29**

~Konoha~

Tsunade slammed a hand down on her desk, eyes wide in shock. "WHAT?!"

Neji nodded his head curtly. "I saw her on my mission."

Tsunade's expression was desperate as she scanned his face for any trace of a lie.

Neji looked absolutely broken as his shoulders sagged. "I saw her there. I tried to get close enough to talk, but… that girl… there was no way on earth she was Morgan. Every kind spirit in her would have to be dead. There is no way- any way at all anyone could change that much… or hide it that well."

The Hokage glowered at her tea so her glare would not burn the boy in front of her.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"She wore no cloak. Also… "

Tsunade raised her hand for a moment, then called to her assistant. "Please, bring me a messenger bird."

Neji continued, "There was something in her eyes… a danger. When she saw me and I called her by that name… when I called her Morgan… she was suddenly in my face. She whispered in my ear right there in a crowd of people, 'Mention that name to me again and you will die.'"

He took a deep breath. "'That imposter is not me. I am Hidori Morino. Mark my words… This _Morgan_ is soon to be dead at my feet'. And she was gone."

Tsunade held her face in her hands. "We've made a terrible mistake…"

The bird arrived and Tsunade quickly attached her letter, dismissing it straight for Kakashi and Shikamaru's coordinates.

"We've made a terrible mistake."

Neji looked grim. "If that bird doesn't arrive in time… what will happen to her?" he muttered.

Tsunade sighed. "Shikamaru will attack Morgan. If she defends herself with her own innocence… he could kill her."

Neji slammed a hand on the desk. "Let me race to them!"

She looked up quickly at the angry boy. "No."

Neji turned from her and howled in rage. "Dammit, Shikamaru!"

His fist hit the wall.

~Morgan~

I had another nightmare last night. Now that I think about it, I've had nightmares for the last week. Last night's was even worse. I think it's this room of mine. I don't have anyone else with me in my new room so I can't really feel secure. I know… weird right?

This nightmare was another of me and Hidori. This time we were facing each other down.

I knew if I let her pass me, something bad would happen. There was something behind me I had to protect… I knew if I moved, they/it/whatever would be hurt. I had to protect them.

Hidori attacked me with the same jutsu I use. They clashed and smoke shrouded us.

I heard her laugh. "You can't beat me, imposter! I am Hidori Morino!"

In response, I glared. "I won't let you near him!"

So I was guarding a guy… but whom?

Hidori charged at me. I screamed, "NO!"

Her chakra jabbed through my heart.

I turned and watched her figure collide with the shadow face of the person I was protecting… I screamed.

I awoke in sweat and tears… and no one was there for me… how realistic…

I sat for three hours crying my eyes, out until the others realized I wasn't at breakfast and came looking for me.

I was instantly better. The mere sight of them brought me out of the haze.

"Come on!" I laughed as I goaded Itachi into training with me.

He was reluctant since it was his day off, but the mere thought of me asking Hidan was horrible.

So we were all outside, the entire Akatsuki, for some reason, when a wild caw of a bird sounded.

We all looked up just as a hawk killed another in midair.

I flinched at the brutality, but as the hawk landed on Pein's arm I understood.

He frowned. "This was a messenger bird. It still has its message."

He read the note, frown deepening the longer he looked at it. "We are moving bases. Now."

In a flurry of confusing boxes and clothes, everything from the base disappeared into thin air as some jutsu sent them away.

Deidara had my clothes and things packed before I even fully understood what Pein had said.

I walked up to him just as he was throwing a bag over his shoulder.

"What's with the letter? Why are we moving?"

He was completely serious as he handed me the message.

I read it.

 **Shikamaru-**

 **Hidori spotted in Land of Waves. Pull back from attack and end mission on target.**

 **-Hokage**

I cringed. I remembered them all looking for me in the village during my last mission a while ago… but wait! If Hidori was seen in the Land of Waves, then I couldn't be Hidori! But that would also mean Konoha had attacked me for no reason.

I stopped all thought there. My brain could not make a decision on how I felt about that.

With a large gasp, I turned and ran past everyone else and into the woods, note still clutched in my hand.

Why did it always end like this? Why me? What does the world of Naruto have against me? Why is it always me?!

I stopped and fell on my back on the leaf-laden ground.

I screamed and screamed in frustration until my anger was spent.

I flinched in surprise as Zetsu phases out of a tree beside me.

"Target found," He stated into a microphone.

He stepped over to me. "Pein should not have let you read that."

I stood and glared at a nearby tree. "Why me!? Why is it always me!?"

He looked nervous. It was obviously his first time trying to comfort anyone.

I rubbed my eyes and muttered, "Forget it… I'm ready to go. Where is this base?"

Zetsu just grabbed my arm and we phased into a tree. It had to be the strangest sensation ever, like my body was twisting inside me.

But when we left the tree, I wanted to die. Konoha was facing me down while the Akatsuki hid away out of sight. Every eye widened on me.

I looked at Shikamaru, who simply looked stunned.

And my heart skipped a beat, because Shikamaru murmured at me, like he was going to call my name. "Hidori…"


	30. Chapter 30

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 30**

Everyone stared. The first words out of my mouth were, "Stay back!"

Zetsu placed a hand on my shoulder and I glared at him.

"Get away from me, NOW."

He nodded and phased back into the tree.

Shikamaru took a small step forward.

I took a breath and tossed a kunai with the note attached to it at his feet.

He glanced from me to the paper.

I nodded, my expression still blank. "Sorry about your bird, but it's long since lunch."

He picked it up and read it.

"Explain."

I smiled kindly. "You should have realized it by now, Shikamaru."

He frowned. I glanced behind him at the others from Konoha, who shuffled nervously. "I… would like a moment with Shikamaru alone, please."

They stiffened in surprise. "It's a trap, Shikamaru!"

He turned and, with a small smile, folded the letter into an airplane and tossed it into Kakashi's palm.

Kakashi glanced over it. "It could still be a trap."

I frowned as the others moved towards him.

"I repeat. I want a moment with SHIKAMARU… alone."

No one stopped moving. My frown deepened. "You don't understand. I only need a moment."

Still, no one was listening…

Enough! All I needed was a minute with him! I had to talk to him! I had to… find out the truth…

My chakra spikes shot up faster than lightning and from every surface, and everyone except Shikamaru was pinned in their current position. No one could move. The chakra would not crack. I was in control of every life now.

"Shikamaru… please." I begged.

He nodded and we walked, side by side, past the tree line.

We walked for twenty minutes in silence until we were far enough away so they couldn't hear us.

He leant on a tree. "Like I asked… please explain this letter."

I nodded. "Our hawk intercepted your message and we caught it. I… I have no doubts I am not Hidori now."

Shikamaru looked stunned. "It wasn't your decoy then?"

I frowned and looked away. "When I came here, I didn't know who I was… I looked like some person named Hidori. Because I resemble her, others attack me… like Konoha for example. I ran away. I thought for sure, if everyone said I was Hidori, I could be. I haven't sent a decoy out. That was the real Hidori."

He nodded, closing his eyes. "Prove it."

"How?" I looked at him in confusion.

He shrugged and I found myself trapped in his shadow possession jutsu. "You have a few last words."

My eyes widened in shock, but I held back my chakra. I felt my eyes tear up a bit.

"When I was in Konoha, I was so happy. I had friends and people who cared for me, but when I was attacked I lost it. I was so scared and frightened, and I just acted. I still can't control myself. I know you can see it's me… you are looking at me like before. I don't want to hurt you, Shikamaru. I know you could take me back… If I could control my chakra, I might go. I might have a long time ago… but I can't. I have no control when I'm threatened. I need the Akatsuki. With them leading me towards control, I CAN conquer this. Let me do this and I will prove it to you."

He looked away from me. I saw his shoulders shake, and I realized he was laughing. It started as a chuckle, but grew until he was practically doubled over, holding his sides.

I felt him release me from the shadow. I honestly didn't see what is so funny until he hugged me, still gasping for breath.

"You… *laugh*… have no idea! Hahaha!"

I frowned and stepped back.

He tried to calm down again, his huge grin never leaving his face. "I never… *laugh*… came here to hurt you! I came to save you from yourself!"

I gaped at him. He nodded and turned back the way we came.

"I see you have it covered."

He looked back over his shoulder at me. "Consider yourself cleared. We're heading back now."

He stopped and called back. "But can you promise me one thing?"

I nodded, even though he was turned away and couldn't see it, and replied, "Yes?"

He smirked and turned around. "Just come back home before you go home."

I gaped again. "How did you…?"

He lifted a hand up in a wave as he walked away. "Anyone would like to learn where they came from."

And he was gone. His laugh, which no one ever hears, rang in my ears. His smile, so rare, remained fresh in my mind.

Call me stupid, but I was sure he'd known who I was all along.

I walked back to the base and saw the others all watching the retreating backs of the Konoha ninja.

I nodded to them. They frowned in curiosity.

I walked towards the base with my arms behind my head.

Deidara ran up to my side. "What exactly did you talk to him about?"

I turned and, with a smile I'd been saving all this time, beamed at him. "I settled a few things."

I entered the base and Tobi grabbed my arm. "We're off to the third base!"

I was sucked into his teleport jutsu thing, and we ended up outside a base that was… *sweat drop* in a tree.

I landed easily on a limb the size of a house and gaped up at it.

Tobi laughed. "The others might be a bit behind! So, who are you rooming with? All this craziness is gonna take some time to clear up, so we'll just continue the yearly meeting. It's been a month and a half now! Long time!"

I nodded and replied, "Can I stick with Deidara and Itachi?"

Tobi nodded and, with his hands behind his head, lead me inside.

We walked in silence until he stopped at the living room, his hands falling to his side. "How long do you plan on staying with us?"

I frowned. "I really don't know."

He looked at me, all of his previous cheer gone. "You shouldn't stay long. People will get attached. If I lose any of them to you when you leave… you won't live to marry."

I laughed. "No one would ever come with me!"

He shrugged and sat on a couch. "I wonder… "

I sighed. "Loosen up, Madara… you're running the new base!"

He chuckled, and Zetsu phased through the wall beside us.

"Deidara and Sasori are nine miles out. Itachi and Kisame are twelve. Pein and Konan are still wrapping up ends at the other base. Hidan and Kakuzu are starting to get supplies for their mission tomorrow."

Tobi raised a hand. "Tell them to return first. Morgan is to accompany them this time."

Zetsu nodded and phased back through the wall. I was left alone with Madara again.

"You leave at first light tomorrow morning. You mission is the search and destroy mission of Sakurai Noi, the blacksmith," he said.

I frowned. "May I ask why?"

And then the oh-so overused words, "He knows too much."

I sighed and laughed slightly. "Right… Well I'm going to check out my room now."

He nodded and I walked away.

My thoughts drifted back to my conversation with Shikamaru. Maybe I would go back for a bit, but first I had to search the world high and low for Drew. I flinched. That was, if he was alive to find…


	31. Chapter 31

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 31**

Hidan woke me up at one a.m. with a scythe to my throat.

Today was definitely one of those days when I wished I had my MP3 player. I missed my music and was dying to rock out.

I was running down the dirt road now. Definitely one of those days I needed my music. "Burn it to the Ground" sounded exceptionally crazy and fun right now.

I began to jump to the beat, and I sang loudly and without any restraint.

"We're going till the world stops turning

While we burn it to the ground tonight!"

Hidan gave me a weird look as I sang, because some of the lines had a lot of cussing in them. I listened to the bad version~!

I jumped as the song ended and landed on a nearby tree, standing parallel to the ground.

My stomach rumbled. "Hey, do either of you have anything to eat?"

Hidan smirked and pointed down the road. "Look there."

I did and he nodded. "That's our target village. Go steal you something."

I rolled my eyes and jumped from the tree, taking off down the road. "Whatever."

I'd never practiced stealing before, so let's see if I could!

I arrived at the bottom of the hill and entered the gates alone.

People smiled at me and I waved.

A little bakery smelled of freshly baked wheat, and my mouth watered. Rolls it is~!

The man saw me walking up and smiled. "Ah! Welcome, beautiful! What can I do for you?"

Nice old man, trying to charm me like that~! Nevertheless, it put me in a great mood. "Hmm… I think I want two rolls, please!"

He nodded and handed me the bag.

I handed him two coins I thought were enough. His eyes widened. "Keep the change~!"

I walked off and bit into the softness and butterified madness that was rolls.

Some more of my favorite songs roared in my brain, and I laughed at myself.

Yes! I was in an amazing mood!

Nearby, I saw Hidan and Kakuzu asking people about a "target". I decided long ago that if I used their names, I might become attached. Becoming attached was bad and sad.

So I walked on, the jutsu on the coins wearing off, and the man yelled in frustration. I smirked as I licked the last bit of butter off my fingers.

"Loosa," I giggled.

I looked around for my partners when I saw something…

I glimpsed a head of dark hair was walking away from me.

My eyes widened.

"That hair cut! It can't be…"

I followed the person through the bunches of people on the street, edging closer as he sat down on a bench.

The crowd in front of him dispersed, and I gasped.

It is him! That's Drew!

It felt like my heartbeat flew to a million times a minute. I could only stand there and gape at him.

He looked up to me, raising an eyebrow and patting the seat beside him.

My mouth was still hanging open as I made my way over to the bench.

He smirked. "It is good to see you."

I nodded and managed to ask, "How did you get here, Drew?"

His eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

I beamed at him. "It's been so long, I can hardly believe you're here!"

He nodded and watched my expression. "So how's it been? Who have you been with?"

"I've been spending a load of time with both Konoha and the Akatsuki! What about you?"

He nodded with a glare at his feet. "I've been seeing this girl."

This day couldn't get any better. Even if he seemed quieter, he was still my Drew!

"What's her name? Maybe I know her?"

He smirked then. A wild glimmer appeared in his eyes.

"Oh yeah, you know her… you know her very well."

I frowned. "Are you alright?"

He smirked wider as he leaned closer, too close. "Of course I am, Morgan."

He laughed evilly, "I am perfectly fine!"

His hands gripped onto my shoulder. "It's you who is about not to be okay."

He looked somewhere in the trees and shouted over the crowd, "Watch me Hidori! I will kill her just for you!"

From his knuckles sprouted a set of chakra spikes. Four spikes to slash with…

My scream died in my throat. What in the world was going on? Why would he do this?

I managed to kick him away, sprinting for the village entrance.

He growled at me and hissed, "Run all you want! Your skinny hide is mine!"

He laughed again as I ran from the village and into the woods.

I heard him behind me… he was running… on all fours?

I turned my head to look, and he tackled me.

"Fight me, Morgan! Use your chakra! Fight me!"

His laugh was insane. He had lost his mind!

I screamed as he wrestled me onto the ground. Drew was going to kill me!

Tears streamed down my cheeks. Something was very wrong with Drew! Drew would never do this to me!

He pinned me down and lifted a hand to slash me.

I trembled. Even like this, I couldn't bring myself to attack him. This could be Drew! This guy could really be him! If this is him… if I killed him… Drew could die. Even if he was insane in this world! He was DREW. My best friend Drew…

I would much rather die in his place. My chakra would not… could not… harm him.

I waited for the blow, closing my eyes in acceptance… but it never came.

Instead, his weight was suddenly lifted off of me as someone attacked.

I gasped as Hidan snatched me from the ground, pressing my face into his shoulder and running away as fast as he could.

Kakuzu had attacked Drew.

"NO KAKUZU!" I screamed.

He caught up to use a second later.

"That man won't harm you again, Morgan."

I clenched my fists, trying not to cry. All this crying lately is really pathetic, but my heart can't take much more betrayal.

Hidan threw me over his shoulder.

I thrashed, trying to kick free, and he growled, "Just go to sleep!"

Someone knocked me out, and I didn't remember the trip back to the base.

~Dream~

Drew is dead to me. That man cannot be Drew… If he was Drew, then the Drew I knew really had died in the car crash.

I watched the scene in the car play out before me.

This time it played farther than I remembered seeing it.

Drew unbuckled at the speed of light and tackled me, so the tree hit him in the back and I was somewhat shielded.

Drew was dead. He had not come to the world of Naruto with me.

I cried in my dream as paramedics rushed in and took him on a stretcher.

I forced the memory back and away from that scene. Drew was dead. I had killed Drew… Drew died.

I felt a breeze gust across my face, and I blinked.

Now I was facing the others.

Itachi and Deidara held their hands out to me.

Tobi had his arms crossed, and Kisame smirked. "Welcome back, kid."

Hidan and Kakuzu were shouting at Pein and Itachi, like taking turns beating up some kids.

Konan was watching me.

I took a step towards them.

"Please… take me with you… I don't have anywhere else to go… please," I murmured, almost pleading.

Deidara and Itachi both smiled at that, and my hands gripped theirs as they pulled me forward and to them. The rest of the Akatsuki gathered in a huddle around us.

I let myself drown in the security I now felt.

Drew was dead… but I felt so much at home right here.

Thanks Drew… for everything.


	32. Chapter 32

Person #1: What about the issue we spoke of?

Person #2: Recovered… somewhat.

Person #3: What do you mean by somewhat?

Person #2: Let me explain…

Interrupter: What the heck are you guys doing in the closet?

Person #2 (aka Pein): *sigh* Ah, well… we were discussing the story…

Interrupter (aka Morgan): That doesn't explain why a bunch of grown men are in a closet.

Person #1 (aka Itachi): *sigh* We can't exactly use our rings after the trip to the Land of Ice.

Morgan: *grin* Oh. well… why a closet?

Person #3 (aka Deidara): Because we like being in shadow.

Morgan: Weirdo.

Everyone else: *growl*

Morgan: *nervous laugh* Oh well… Um… Why don't we all tell them about our trip to the Land of Ice? Maybe?

Deidara: Sure… we'll have to until THAT matter is settled.

Morgan: What matter?

Itachi: *knocks her out* The matter of who you fall in love with, you twit.

Everyone else: *sweat drop*

Itachi: *clears throat* Allow me to begin…

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 32**

I lay in my bed with my back to the door. Deidara and Itachi glanced from one another to me.

Hidan stomped by our room with a wild glare. "Of all times when she's finally over all that crap, someone else steps in!"

Itachi nodded his head and asked very politely for Hidan to send a message to Pein.

Hidan stormed off to relay the message.

Itachi closed the door and sat down out of my view. He rubbed his temples.

"Is there nothing you can do now?" Deidara asked.

Itachi shook his head, speaking quietly, "She's not scared or scarred… she's broken hearted."

Deidara looked disgusted. "The man who attacked her?!" he spat.

The raven haired man nodded.

Pein's cloak swirled in a wave of air as he entered the room.

My head turned ever so slightly to look at him.

Pein nodded to me and then looked to Itachi.

"I would like to examine her… and then I will consider your request."

Pein marched over to me, and I sat up. He held a flashlight up to my eyes. "Please follow my finger with your eyes."

I did as I was told, and after several more tests he nodded to himself.

"There is no sign of sickness. Your request has been accepted. Please help her prepare."

"What's going on?" I asked, feeling curious and slightly suspicious.

Itachi smirked as he tossed a bag onto my bed. "We're going on a field trip."

My eyebrows rose. The Akatsuki have field trips?

"ACHOO!" I sneezed as the snow tickled my nose.

Pein handed me a bottle. "Drink it."

I did, and I have to admit - It tasted just as bad as my world's medicine.

The hotel came into view. Pein had the place rented out for a week. I'd call this a VACATION, not a FIELD TRIP.

I walked inside. The ladies at the desk ran over to us in cascades.

"Good afternoon! We have enough rooms for you all!"

Konan gave them a firm stare. "Morgan can't stay alone."

I glared at her weakly, and the maids smiled kindly. "Oh, I see…"

And suddenly three maids had surrounded Itachi.

"We have a luxury room for you, sir!"

Itachi looked back at us as he was dragged away.

I laughed at his annoyed expression. He was more like Sasuke than he realized.

Another woman walked up to Deidara.

"A room has been reserved for you…"

She glanced to me and I shrugged, confused by her questioning look.

She smiled brightly, "For you and the girl!"

I flinch. Grreeeeaaaat.

The room we have is huge.

Two beds, both bigger than my old room at home, were on opposite sides of the room. There was a sliding screen that could divide the room if needed. A chandelier hung from the ceiling with gold and silver.

My hands covered my mouth. Deidara sighed, "Itachi overdid it this time."

I ran around the room, looking at all the decorations on the walls and shelves.

Outside the window that took up an entire wall was an incredible view of the Land of Snow.

Snow fell on the horizon with the setting sun.

I breathed out in awe.

Deidara looked at me from his bed. "Are you that pleased?"

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

He nodded and pointed to a door opposite the window, "I think the bathrooms are over there… This hotel sports some sort of hot spring if you'd like to ask."

I walked into the bathroom and found a tub the size of a pool.

My eyes gleamed. Deidara knocked and walked in. "So, I'm heading out. Go ahead and do as you please." He walked back to the door and stopped.

"Just keep in mind that Itachi set this up for you."

I nodded to him, and as he left I turned the water on full blast.

Bath tonight to get rid of this cold, and tomorrow I'll search out the hot springs!

I undressed and stepped into the water. It felt great!

I slept veeeery well.

"Morgan! Wake up! It's vacation time!"

I jerked awake as Tobi bounced on my bed.

"We're going ice skating!"

My eyes widened, "Really?"

He nodded and I dressed quickly in the coat he handed me from a closet.

I dashed outside with a pair of new skates in my hands.

I heard several voices call for me from a frozen lake.

I look around. At least 50 people were ice skating today.

I switched shoes quickly and darted onto the ice.

Oh hang on a sec… I forgot. My balance sucks!

I slipped on the ice and crashed into whoever was in front of me.

I gaped up at Itachi as he caught me.

I waved slightly, "Sup?"

He sighed. "Let's teach you to skate, then…"

I felt utterly stupid as he and Hidan took my hands and pulled me between them.

Sasori skated like a pro behind me incase I fell.

Konan did a beautiful spin ahead of me.

I made her fall with my chakra… she'll never know… *evil laughter*

Pein and Tobi helped her up.

Zetsu was not skating. Kisame was ice fishing~! ^^ lol

Kakuzu was missing, and Deidara was just skating alone.

I skimmed on the ice and slipped.

Itachi caught me again, and I tripped him.

Hidan was caught on my cloak and landed on top of Itachi. Sasori couldn't move away fast enough and tripped as well.

And so I lay there… Itachi and the rest layered above me.

I groaned under the weight, and they all moved off quickly.

I stood up laughing at their worry.

They sighed, "You sure can't skate, can you?"

"Snowball fights are a lot easier…" I sighed.

They all frowned. "What's a… snow ball… fight?"

I grinned. My turn to teach!

This was not a good idea at all!

Itachi and I were on a team. We had a small fort the size of … well… a car.

Hidan and Kakuzu were thrashing us with snow. Bad luck…

Our fort was about to fall…

Itachi had been throwing non-stop. He withdrew, covered in snow.

"We're losing."

I laughed and nodded. "I guess so! Seeing as you're the only one who hasn't given up yet."

He nodded. "You are having fun?"

I nodded and laughed again. "This is so great!"

He looked over my shoulder and frowned. "Watch out!"

I looked behind me as Deidara flew over with his bird and dropped a bomb of snow on us.

We were completely buried.

I fell on my back and covered my face, but the snow never hit me. I hesitantly opened an eye.

Itachi was above me, blocking the snow.

I waved up at him. "Um… thanks?"

He sighed. "You need to pay attention."

I laughed nervously. "Well, I guess I don't have to now… we lost!"

The other teams had been extremely… enthusiastic… they had made this the wildest game yet. I couldn't win against them when they were like this!

I laughed again as Itachi tried to straighten up, but stopped when the snow threatened to fall on us.

Itachi shook his head in mock exasperation. "You're such a kid."

I nodded. "And you're way too serious! Aren't we on vacation?"

He smirked and replied, "Of course."

I had been about to laugh again, but ended up gasping as something heavy jumped onto the pile of snow covering us, and Itachi was shoved down on top of me.

His lips hit mine. We both recoiled in shock.


	33. Chapter 33

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 33**

Itachi's lips were pressed to mine as the weight knocked him off balance.

We stared at each other in shock as we tried to separate.

Itachi managed to get his lips off of mine, but ended up with them on my neck.

The weight on top of our snow pile was growing…

I groaned and Itachi growled in frustration. His chakra burned away the snow, and we were freed.

Deidara had landed his bird on top of us and was inspecting another hill of snow.

"Hey Hidan, are they in this pile? I can't find them anywhere!"

Itachi pulled me out of the snow and draped his cloak over my head.

"Deidara," he said with a tone like death.

Deidara froze and turned. "Oh… uh, hey Itachi… say… you weren't in that hill I landed on, were you?"

Itachi cracked his knuckles. "Deidara."

Deidara gulped and ran back to his bird and escaped, laughing as he flew away. "See you guys!"

Hidan popped out of the snow bank and sighed.

"That idiot made me dig around in all this!"

I managed to pull the cloak off of me and blushed in their direction.

Hidan looked concerned as he popped up an inch from my face.

"Hey, do you feel okay, Morgan? You look all red and stuff."

It's called blushing you twit!

His hand covered my forehead and he murmured, "You're really hot! Hey Leader! Morgan has a fever!"

And without really understanding what was going on, I somehow ended up back at the hotel.

Some maid had dressed me in a bathing suit, and I had been placed in the hot springs.

The Akatsuki sat around me in folding chairs, dressed in their swimming trunks. Maids were banned.

Tobi waddled in with a tray of hot chocolate and sang out, "Warm ya up in no time~!"

Sometimes I wanted to strangle the guy. Now was one of those times.

He tripped over something and, upon abandoning the tray, fell in the water next to me.

He came up and whispered in my ear, "I'd watch where you put your lips. They might end up somewhere you don't want them."

He ended up dunked under the water. I had a nose bleed, so I ended up out of the water and in bed for the rest of the night.

Crap Tobi.

It was around midnight, and yet again I couldn't sleep.

I stood and noticed that Deidara was not in the room. I dressed in a warm robe and started walking outside.

My feet sank into the snow and I leaned against the wall, breathing in the cool air.

I heard voices, then, engaged in a conversation I wasn't meant to hear.

"Were you that caught off guard not able to lift the snow, or are merely trying to be sly about that?" Madara's voice asked.

A voice I recognized as Itachi's replied, "She is still a child."

Madara chuckled. "That is never a factor."

Itachi growled in return, "She is too immature and young. She must grow if she is ever to survive to defeat Hidori!"

My heart throbbed. I cursed at my lack of control. Hidori's name didn't affect me as much as it used do, but my heart still accelerated.

I am young. My body is older than when I was in America, but even there I was mature for my age. In fact… other than my wild imagination that no one knew I had… I was more mature than most seniors in high school.

Madara sighed. "This does not give me the answer to what you did."

"I was not expecting it," Itachi whispered.

Madara chuckled. "No one ever expects it to happen. Just watch your back from now on."

I turned on my heel and walked back inside.

I wasn't meant to hear any of that. Or maybe I was… Well, for whatever reason, I NEEDED to hear it.

Hidori was the only person in my way between here and home. I needed to defeat her so I can go home.

Drew won't be there waiting for me…but home is home.

This vacation would end tomorrow, so I could work on my training.

Pein met me in the hallway as I neared my room.

"Ah, I was just looking for you. I have received an urgent mission request. You and Itachi are to leave immediately."

I smiled and nodded. Hidori was above me in experience. Drew's counterfeit was more cunning. Itachi was more mature. Everyone was above me, but I would grow on this mission. I would not be left behind like a child.

My heartbeat quickened as Itachi walked around the corner and saw me.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise.

Looking down, he saw the pool of water by my feet from the melted snow.

"How much did you hear?"

I smiled. "Enough. Did Pein fill you in on the details?"

He nodded, still watching my face carefully.

He handed me a scroll and waited as I read it.

… Urgent mission my butt.

 **Mission: Mapping**

 **Description: Map out the city of Hoshi.**

Yeah… really important.

Oh well. A mission is a mission.


	34. Chapter 34

Morgan: *slaps writer* YOU BAKA!

Writer: *whimper*

Itachi: You skipped an ENTIRE chapter.

Writer: I fooorgooooot…

Morgan: So, that funny chapter which was SUPPOSED to make the story a lot lighter has not been postponed…

Writer: *frowns* I'm really sorry… Wait… *refers to outline* I'm sorry but this mission is going to have to be put on hold. This is getting WAY into the plot. So let's move some things around a little…

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 34**

Itachi and I had to return to the base very quickly before our mission could start.

Pein met us with a frown. "Due to our writer's negligence, your mission has been postponed."

I frowned and sighed.

Tobi bounced out of the base and tackled me over. "MORGAN-CHAN, You almost missed movie night!"

I gasped. *glare at writer* "Movie night is the best!" I walked inside the base, grinning in excitement for the movie.

That was until a huge boom shook the air.

I coughed and ran into the hallway that connected to people's rooms.

Deidara was there, wrestling a clay bomb out of Tobi's grip.

"YOU COMPLETE MORON!"

Hidan and all of the others crawled out of the collapsed tunnel, coughing.

I laughed.

Kisame growled. "Shut up."

I patted him on the shoulder and cooed, "Don't worry bout it!"

Pein was rubbing his temples behind me in irritation.

"All right then… until we can get the hallway's fixed, everyone will just have to camp."

We looked outside the tree house to see rain pouring down like there was no tomorrow.

He corrected himself, "In the living room." The rain stopped.

"Outside." It poured.

He turned and glared, "In the living room."

The sun shined gleefully.

He pointed at the sun and shouted, "QUIT PESTERING ME!"

It rained.

Pein turned on his heel and marched off with huge stomps.

I almost imagined the sun sticking its tongue out at him. I also wondered why he didn't just stop the rain but oh well~!

Tobi looked from me to the living room and shouted, "TOBI GETS TO PICK THE MOVIE!"

I groaned as he pulled me after him into the living room.

I dropped down on the couch between Konan and Kisame again and got comfy.

A kids movie about unicorns and rainbows passed with me refraining from looking at the TV screen and the others all eye twitching.

Worst movie night ever…

Suddenly Konan banged her fist on the wall, and sleeping bags fell from the ceiling onto the floor.

We each took one and began to settle in.

I grinned from ear to ear.

"Hey, you guys clearly don't understand the concept of a sleepover."

"A what?" they asked in confusion.

I grinned again as evilly as possible. "A sleepover. You play games and prank each other… all night."

Hidan grinned as evilly as me, and we turned on the rest of the group, who were still uncertain.

"Come on! It will be so much fun!"

Tobi joined in by tackling Hidan over in a glomp. "TOBI WANTS TO PLAY!"

At Tobi's commanding glance Pein sighed, "I'm in."

Konan followed him. Zetsu had SOMEHOW already ended up behind us.

I grinned at the others and they exchange looks before nodding.

I laughed, "First game! Spin the bottle!"

Another weird look…

I chuckled to myself and whispered it in Hidan's ear.

He looked around the room and whispered back, "I am _so_ in."

We talked the others into playing and sat in a circle around a bottle.

Kisame was "volunteered". Heh…

He spun it with a look on his face like a bunny about to be slaughtered.

I grinned at how true this was.

It stopped, and I nearly fell over laughing.

Deidara looked disgusted.

He walked up and Kisame stepped back.

I covered my mouth to keep from laughing, even though the entire base was shaking from laughter.

Deidara tsk'ed and shoved his mouth-hands in Kisame's face.

I gaped and died laughing as Kisame made a mad dash for the bathroom and ended up face planting into the wall.

I rolled over on my side and cried I was laughing so hard.

Kisame smirked and pointed to me.

I spun it really hard and gulped.

Oh please, don't make me regret this…

It stopped. Zetsu.

Pein stood and frowned. "I don't think this is the best of ideas."

I smiled kindly and asked, "Does that mean you're taking my place?"

He hadn't really heard what I'd said as he rambled, "I don't think this is appropriate… um, oh yes that is fine, Morgan… Wait what?"

I smirked, "Have fun you two~!"

I had to admit. Some people were easy to trick. This just wasn't Pein's day.

Pein disbanded the game after that. I was "purrfectly" fine with that…

I told them the next game was going to be better.

Seven Minutes in Heaven.

Well, as it turned out, no one would go first so I had to. I got Itachi. Whoot.

We walked in the closet and I plopped down.

"How long are we in here?" he asked.

I sighed, "Seven minutes."

He dropped down beside me. "You up to trying something?"

"Sure?"

~Others~

When everything went quiet and silence emanated from the closet, everyone looked freaked.

Pein placed an ear to the door and Tobi muttered, "Doing grownup things in the closet! Ahahaha!"

As soon as the timer went off, they opened the door.

Itachi and I dropped the deck of cards we were playing with and stood.

I frowned, "Sharingan are cheating, Itachi!"

He only shrugged and I pointed to Sasori, who got Kakuzu.

Both came out looking bored.

Tobi got Deidara. They came out… well, Tobi was hugging Deidara's middle and Deidara was screaming for him to "go to the hot, bad place under the earth".

About now everyone got hungry.

I got snacks and brought them back.

Konan was asleep.

I grinned and looked to the others.

I bended over her and squirted whip cream on her hands.

Everyone was standing over me, watching curiously.

I took a feather. Don't ask me where I found it… and I tickled her just above her boobs.

She moved to swat it away, and the cream went straight down her shirt.

Surprise, Konan…

Everyone backed away looking either wary or laughing.

I giggled as she woke up. A dark aura started swirling around her…

I frowned. Uh-oh.

She took off after me down a hallway which led to the supply closets.

I ducked inside one and could hear everyone run past it. I smirked and walked out when it was quiet.

The lights all went out.

I gulped and took a step back.

"Hey guys this isn't funny!"

I shuddered and walked back towards the living room.

"H-hey! Where are you at?"

I walked into the room, and the lights came back on just as a load of eggs crash down over my head.

I gasped as suddenly five guys jumped me with pillows.

The ick made the feathers stick.

I gasped and Konan squirted whip cream ALL over me.

I tackled her over and we both died laughing on the floor.

Tobi ran and jumped on top of us and shouted, "SLEEPOVERS ARE FUN!"

I laughed. This was more fun than I'd had in a long time.

Pein looked extremely sleepy as the sun suddenly peeked in through a window.

Pein roared, "CURSE YOU!"

Everyone laughed. Or, well… most chuckled, but still.

Best weekend of my life!

.

-!-

 **Okay, so I know I don't usually write anything down here, but as always:**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **Thank you for following!**

 **Please review and tell me what you think so far!**

 **Love you! purpleheart3000**


	35. Chapter 35

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 35**

~Someone else, in another place~

I woke up that morning as water dripped on my cheek and slid down my neck.

As I opened my eyes, I was sure I'd gone blind. All I could see was grey.

Sitting up, I looked around and gaped at my surroundings. A field as far as I could see stretched out before me.

I stood up shakily and tried and remember how I got here.

I held my head and groaned in pain. My head ached worse than it ever had… my memories had yet to return to me.

I groaned and swayed on my feet.

The world seemed to swim with color as I try not to faint.

I tilted back and fell back on my but.

I heard a small laugh behind me. "A traveler I see! Well, well… what's happened to you, boy? Get a little lost? Maybe hungry? Are ya thirsty?"

A blurry face appeared in front of me. I looked up at him, numbly trying to process what he had said.

He laughed again, though there was no humor in his voice when he spoke, "Maybe I should just end your misery here… Heh… see you in the next life, kid."

I saw something shine from his hand and my eyes cleared.

My mind sharpened and I saw exactly what was happening.

It was almost in slow-motion as the knife came towards my neck.

Faster than I could realize what I was doing, I had my hand in front of my face to deflect it. I closed my eyes.

I heard a metallic clang and opened them.

From my fist, four long blue things were protruding out of my knuckles.

My eyes were wide as I stared at the back of my hand. The man looked confused and angry.

"Why you little…"

Suddenly the blue blades lengthened abruptly and struck the attacker through the heart.

He died there staring at me. He fell and the blades faded into thin air.

I stared at him as he lay on the ground… not a wound on his skin, but as dead as dead gets.

I knelt and checked for a pulse. None.

I felt my vision fade back into a blur.

Who am I? How did I do this? What is happening to me?

I stood and walked away from him, holding my face.

I don't even know my name.

~Morgan & Itachi on mission in Hoshi~

I walked along with Itachi grinning to myself.

So, the village was a new ninja village! Who woulda known?

I was making history! What other girl could boast spending months with the Akatsuki and going on a mission ALONE with Itachi? Me! I can~!

*cough* Anyway…

The village was rather small without much to it. The populace was less than two hundred. There were two schools, though. One was for the drop out useless farmer kids who, just by listening to them talk, you just KNEW were going to fail. The second was the new ninja academy, 'Hoshi's Ninja Academy'. It's original, eh? Not.

So Itachi had walked off to get us rooms in the hotel. I had stayed behind in the outskirts where the "bad" kids lived. -_-' Oh yeah… go milk a cow! That's so bad a**!

^^ lol

Anyway… on with the story and enough of my rambling on about these deprived children. They never had Mario Kart to play~!

Dang it… concentrate! *determined*

I sat down on a bench just as a small white dog shot out from the streets and streaked towards me.

I watched in confusion as two boys chased after it.

"Come back here mutt! We only want to kick you around a bit!"

I glared at them as their feet hit the dog.

I stood and walked over to them.

They looked interested in me. I gagged.

"Is that your dog?" I asked sweetly as I picked it up.

One boy winked to the other, "Oh yeah! Choi is a total chick magnet!"

I smiled, "So he is yours?"

The boy nodded and cooed, "You want to feed him? I have some food back at my place… my dad won't care… You could even stay over all night…"

I pounded my fist onto the top of his head, and he fell to the ground.

The dog wagged its tail under my arm.

I growled, "Don't hurt cute animals!"

The second boy shouted, "What's with you?!"

With a smirk, I kicked him in a bad place. "Get lost before I de-man you."

He yelled in rage and ran forward to tackle me.

I slipped to the side, and he face planted into the bench I had been sitting on.

The little dog wriggled out of my grasp and ever so nicely bit his butt before jumping back into my arms.

I grinned and the second boy punched at me.

Without even having to move, Itachi appeared there with a finger to the kid's forehead.

"So, I found a room."

I grinned, "That's great! I've been dying for a bath!"

The kid is swinging his arms like a mad man, and Itachi just held him there and replied, "Yeah, but the hotel was full."

I nodded and sighed, "Oh well… one room then?"

He nodded and added, "It has a couch."

I smiled. The first boy who'd hit the bench stood and attacked Itachi.

Itachi ever so calmly placed a foot in the kid's face and held him there.

"Why a dog?" he asked.

I smiled and cooed, "He's just so cute! Can we keep him?"

Little doggie barked and wagged his tail. The two boys struggled, but Itachi still wasn't even trying.

"No."

I sighed and placed the dog on the ground.

"Go off and play~!"

The dog waddled away and Itachi let the boys go.

They toppled onto one another. Itachi and I just walked away.

I asked, "Are you up for something sweet?"

He made that grunting sound, but didn't say anything. That's not a "no"!

I looked back at the two boys. I pulled down an eyelid and stuck out my tongue.

They growled and stomped off. I smirked in victory.

The hotel came into view and we walked in.

~The Next Morning (NO NOTHING HAPPENED)~

I yawned as we walked through the streets. Itachi, who had decided to go ahead with the mission while I was dreaming of muffins, had a lead.

This man who lived in the village had a woman he liked, but she was a poor woman and he a rich man. He could not be with her normally, so he wanted to give her a position in society known all over the world so they could be together. He gave her the ninja academy. Romantic, right?

So we're following said Rich Man down the road…

Itachi is wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt with those jean shorts and flip flops.

-_-'

I had on a T-shirt with the words "Trademark Ninja Girl" on it. I just found it in a store. Sue me.

We followed the guy until a woman ran out of a building and hugged him.

Itachi shoved me into the bushes of a nearby park before jumping into another one.

To my joy, the little dog from yesterday, Choi, bounded up and sat between our two bushes.

I stared at the couple and tried to hear what they were saying when OMG… a PDA. (Public display of affection. KISSING.)

I gasped and Itachi grabbed my attention by waving his hand.

Choi looked to him.

He mouthed perfectly, "What are you doing?! Cover your eyes!"

Choi looked at me.

"Why?" I mouthed back.

Choi turned back to Itachi.

He whisper-shouted, "You're too young! Cover your eyes!"

Choi wagged his tail at me.

I rolled mine and gaze intently at the couple.

Choi leaned in Itachi's direction.

"Listen to what I say or else I'll…"

Choi glanced back and forth very quickly.

I looked at him and smirked, "Make. Me."

He glared, "Cover your eyes right now! Do not make me come over this bush!"

Choi was looking between us intently.

"Oh yeah. Prove it."

In a flash of black and red, I was pinned underneath Itachi as he hissed in my ear, "You are just a kid!"

I replied, "So what? I've seen people kiss before! I'm not THAT little! Go nag Sasuke!"

Choi barked and the couple turned.

I jerked back from Itachi and the woman laughed. "Oh I see… rather intent are we?"

Itachi looked stunned.

The man laughed along, "Well go on! Kiss her then!"

Itachi looked between me and the others.

I sighed and stood, "Sorry, but Itachi only sees me as a kid. So can I ask you something?"

The two looked at me funny.

"Are you lovers?" I asked bluntly.

Itachi looked absolutely horrified. Choi barked and wagged his tail.

I smiled happily and the couple looked flabbergasted.


	36. Chapter 36

Author-chan: This is a special chapter I think you will all lurv. It even has a title! I call it, "Getting Brave." Enjoy~!

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 36**

Mission accomplished. Itachi was still BROODING over the fact that I beat his record at an infiltration mission. Boo him. Miss Manazi was really nice and invited me over for dinner. She got out a photo album and was showing me all the lovey dovey mush. Her elderly mother was showing Itachi all of her dead cats~! Also, his original assumption was true. Rich man fell for the poor woman and gave her a school so they could be together. Isn't it so ordinary? Lol

This has pretty much caught everyone up! Anyway, we arrived back at the base. I had basically locked Itachi and Deidara out of our room so I could have a day of "pampering" myself. This meant a long bath and reading a book I bought on the way home from the mission!

The others had promised to stay out, so I didn't bother to lock the door. The water was up to my neck as I lay in the tub. My hair was in a towel, and the one for my body was behind the curtain. Just in case, I had the curtain pulled shut. I wasn't risking someone walking in on my bathing. After nearly an hour, I got out of the water and dried off.

I looked for my day clothes to change into when I realized something. My bra was gone. I frowned and looked around. My clean clothes were folded neatly on the counter… wait… I didn't fold my clothes earlier… SOMEONE HAD BEEN IN HERE AND STOLEN MY BRA!

… I was a little too stupid to realize that I needed to put something on before I stormed out into the hall in my towels.

Hidan was in the hall and watched in complete and utter embarrassment as I stalked towards him. "Did you take my bra?!"

He anime fell with a bleeding nose. I sighed, "Whatever."

I walked on down the hall and got knocked over by an opening door.

Sasori walked out and saw me on the ground. He very quickly shut the door and asked, "Why are you here?"

I stood up, still not realizing I was only in a towel, and replied, "Someone stole my bra."

Sasori closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate. "I… haven't… seen it…" he said shakily, and he walked away down the hall very quickly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "What the heck?"

Next I saw Kisame standing a bit down the hall with his back turned to me.

I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. Immediately, his face turned purple. What is wrong with everyone today?!

I glared at him suspiciously. "You took my bra didn't you?"

He backed away and leaned on the wall as he turned even purpler. I sighed, "I guess not."

Next in the order of people I met was Kakuzu.

He watched me walk up and casually pulled his mask down over his eyes.

"What?" I asked. He said nothing.

"Did you take my bra?" I asked.

He shook his head no and walked away and into a wall…

I sighed and walked into the living room.

Deidara, Itachi, Pein, and Tobi were there.

Tobi stuffed a cork into his mask's eyehole and moaned, "Morgan-chaaaaan!"

Pein looked absolutely horrified. I rolled my eyes.

Deidara's eyes widened and he pointed at me saying, "Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-YOU!"

He couldn't speak past that.

Itachi went blood red.

I growled, tired of all the weird behavior. "Which one of you took my bra?!"

Tobi's cork exploded out of his mask and blood spurted out, probably from his nose.

Pein fell out of his chair.

Deidara fell to the floor into a twitching heap, stammering "B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B" over and over again.

Itachi was still staring.

About that time, Konan walked in and stopped. She looked stunned. "Well, you sure are getting brave!"

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

She pointed to me and stated, "Wearing THAT into public."

I looked down and saw I was still wearing the towel… and that is all.

My face went blood red and she sighed, "I was doing our laundry and got confused with which bra was mine, so I took them both to my room on accident. Hang on… which size was yours? They're really similar now…"

I was slowly turning redder as I tucked the towel tighter around me. "I… uh…"

Hidan walked in then, holding his nose. "Konan's are bigger."

I blushed more insanely as I realized why everyone had acted so strange today.

I ran back down the hall as Konan laughed.

She followed me and handed me my "stuff", and I darted back to my room.

I changed and end up just going to bed early, too embarrassed to go in the kitchen to eat.

Konan knocked on my door later, and we ended up talking about how silly the whole thing was.

I laughed when she asked why I had not worn clothes. "I always just walked out at home… I was so used to it that I didn't think!"

Konan elbowed me gently and grinned, "Itachi sure was staring, eh?"

I rolled my eyes, "No way. He's really boring. He was probably staring at the wall or something. He thinks I'm just a kid anyway."

Konan laughed, "Well, you earned my respect today! Good luck!"

I laughed as she left, and I went to sleep feeling much better about myself.

~Kitchen~

Deidara: That was really bad.

Hidan: *still cleaning blood* Yeah.

Pein: I wasn't expecting that.

Tobi: *blood still leaking from mask* Morgan-chan is really pretty.

Kakuzu: I don't find her attractive.

Itachi: She's just a kid.

Sasori: Not after seeing that. I definitely don't agree.

Deidara: *stutters* Sh-sh-she's grown u-u-u-p!

Itachi: She's still a kid.

Everyone else: *eye roll*

Deidara: This was a really weird chapter…

Author-chan: Yes. Yes it was. ^^


	37. Chapter 37

Author-chan: A long time ago when I was little I used to have a stuffed animal named Lucy. Only I spelled her name Loosie. She was about as big as my hands put together and had glassy, beady eyes.

I carried her everywhere until I lost her at the age of ten. I still miss her.

But that has nothing to do with the story. I just wanted to tell this to everyone. IF YOU FIND LOOSIE PLEASE MESSAGE ME. *tears* I MISS YOU LOOSIE!

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 37**

Pein's voice rose up over the sounds of daily activity.

"I have an announcement that concerns all of you."

I glanced up without much interest. The last announcement was that Konan was on her period and that we were not to make her angry for the next week. Whoot.

No one else seemed to WANT to hear anything else after that.

I sat on the couch between Kisame and Itachi as I read over Itachi's shoulder and fed Kisame's sword my chakra like a dog.

"Akatsuki is resuming its traveling stages in search of the Bijuu."

Hidan spat coffee all over Deidara, who had been trying to make his hair do that flippy thing.

Kakuzu tripped over Tobi's cloak and face planted into a wall.

Kisame fumbled with his sword, and it ripped through the ceiling and made a big hole.

Itachi dropped his book and looked up, eyes slightly wider than usual.

Sasori stopped just as he was about to re-screw a finger back into place.

Zetsu just stood there. Konan frowned.

I blinked.

Suddenly I had ten pairs of eyes on me.

"What did I do?" I asked in confusion and annoyance.

Pein pointed to me and stated, "You have to go with someone."

I understood the looks now. Oh yeah… who is getting the funny chick who loves to run around in towels? (see last chapter). I hope we do! Pervs.

Anyways…

Pein looked at me and smirked, "So, you get to pick."

Wait… I get to pick?

"I don't know…" I mumbled.

I sighed and rubbed my chin like a moron.

Every eye was on me.

I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head.

"So… maybe if I go with each of you for a week, I can choose…"

That was what decided my fate on the matter.

By the end of the day, I had a schedule of who I would go with and when. I would spend my first week with Deidara and Sasori.

And so the next few days were filled with packing and stacking things into boxes.

I placed all of my weapons into my holsters. My clothes were placed into my backpack as the closets were hastily cleared. My few possessions were packed away for next year since I wouldn't need any of them during the travels.

My hair was constantly in a tussle of blond and frizz. I didn't have the time to really fix it.

I was the one who cleaned out the kitchen, which turned ugly when Tobi decided to help. Let's just say he ended up with his hand stuck in the sink drain and we had to jerk it out. You don't want the details.

Cleaning the bathroom was a hassle when Deidara "accidentally" turned the shower on me as a prank.

The day we sent everything to storage went horribly wrong when SOMEONE sent the stuff to Konoha on accident, and we had to get them back…

So basically the last week of my time with everyone was filled with stupidity.

And at last the time came to leave.

This is where the chapter really begins… Whoop.

~Story really begins~

I stood in my room, holding a book in my hands. Itachi had kept it out for me until I could finish it. I flipped the last page and sighed. So many days had passed with everything calm and quiet… I could hardly believe they were over.

Deidara was pestering me to finish getting my things together so we could go. I would have been happy to if I wasn't so deep in thought.

I decided on a quick walk before leaving. Itachi took his book back.

The trees here were so beautiful. They seemed bigger than life. In my world, they would have been chopped down for paper or to build cities. My world was so messed up.

That was the funny part. This world was centered around murder, but even still my world seemed more messed up.

Drew was dead, my world was far from reach, and for a moment I felt totally alone.

Wait a second. I am not alone.

I heard Kisame's voice and turned. He slid to a stop and grinned at me.

We had gotten a lot closer since I had first arrived. That was pretty cool, if not surprising.

I had been so afraid of these men, but not anymore. I was happy here. I knew I would miss them all.

Kisame told me that Sasori and Deidara were ready to leave, and that I was to report back.

When we returned, I took a moment to stand in the base and look around. Everything seemed so dear to me now that I wouldn't see it again. It was custom, born out of tradition if not necessity, for the Akatsuki to never return to the same base.

I walked into my room and breathed in the scent still left by me and my roommates. A sense of home filled me, and I took out a piece of paper and a pen.

I wrote a letter and placed it under the floorboards. Something to remember me by if someone were to find it.

I turned on my heel and walked out the door, excited to travel with my temporary team.

~Day 1 with Dei and Sasori~

Deidara was surfing the air just above the ground on his bird. I walked with my hands behind my head, with Sasori at my side.

I wore a traveling outfit I would normally skip over. It was blue and stopped at my stomach, where I had wrap tied. I'm very self conscious… The shorts were black and pretty short. The black ninja shoes matched, I guess.

My holster was strapped to my upper right arm. I had arm bands like the ones Sasuke wore in the Chuunin exams on my elbows and forearm.

"So, tell me something," I began. "Where are we going?"

Sasori glanced at me. "To gain information on my Bijuu."

I sighed. "Okay." So much for that conversation…

At first, no one really talked. Deidara was constantly moving the bag with his clay on it higher and lower with the strap like an old lady. Sasori, outside his puppet, was tinkering on a puppet arm. I just walked in silence.

I knew everything the future held for everyone. I knew that the two next to me would… I didn't think about it anymore.

Instead, I turned my thoughts to Konoha. One day I'd go back and say goodbye for real, before I searched for my way home… one day for sure.

I briefly thought of Drew, but I pushed it away as well. That was an area I did not need to return to.

I measured the time in my mind. When I arrived in this world, Naruto still had at the very least a half year till his return. I had spent three or four months with the Akatsuki. That's a laugh, especially since our time together in one base was only meant to be one month… So at the very least, I had two months until the Gaara fiasco… and I lost Sasori.

If I spent a week with each team, I would also have three weeks with the team I chose.

If Sasori was going to die I should choose them… but what about the others? Who should I choose?

"MORGAN!"

I jumped back to attention as Deidara waved his hand angrily in front of my face. "WAKE UP!"

I smiled and asked, "What did I miss?"

Deidara sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I asked you about where you used to live."

I smiled. I trusted them now, so I could tell them the truth.

"Where I lived, there weren't any ninjas or the sort. There wasn't even chakra. But we had manga about this place… The ninja world. All of the Akatsuki were in it."

Sasori nodded, "That was how you knew so much… but how did that manga know about us?"

Okay, lie time!

"We have witches and wizards."

They looked enchanted. "Reeeaaally?" Their eyes were all sparkly.

I laughed and stated very easily, "No."

They anime fell and I laughed.

This world was enchanting. This world with all of my new friends… I felt so safe right now I couldn't believe I was ever afraid.

Suddenly a cruel laugh echoed in my head, and a memory of a dream I'd locked away surfaced.

Hidori killed Itachi right in front of me and laughed at me.

I could almost imagine her voice saying, "Just you wait! I will kill everyone who loves you! Just you wait!"

I curled my arms around myself, but when my comrades asked what was wrong I shrugged and smiled. I didn't need to feel afraid… I was fine. I would not fall prey to my nightmares and fears. Hidori would not come for me. That was final.

~? ? ? ? ? ? ?~

"Look there," a girl's voice stated.

A boy who resembled Drew looked up. He had been the boy to attack Morgan in the village before.

"So that's him, eh?" he asked.

Hidori smirked and tapped her sharpened nails on the wood. "Oh yes, Daichi… That is definitely him."

Daichi stood and smirked as well, jumping down to intercept the traveler on the path. "Come here, boy, I have something I want to tell you."

The boy looked up. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

Daichi smirked and lifted a fist to display four chakra blades. "Your name is Drew, correct?"

The boy in question lifted a necklace from his neck up and showed it to Daichi.

"That is what these dog tags say."

Hidori smirked, "This is… delicious." Her eyes sparkled red and her tongue licked her lips.

"Poor little Morgan, about to lose everyone she loves… Absolutely delicious."

.

 **-!-**

 **So, for anyone who missed the message, I'll be posting all the original art from Quizilla on my Pinterest. The link is on my profile. Pictures are named according to the chapter they were posted with, though not all pictures are related to the chapter. Some were just posted for fun, or are banners for the story. I hope that's not too confusing...**

 **xoxo, purpleheart3000**


	38. Chapter 38

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 38**

Endless miles seemed to just pass under my feet. Hours turned into a day, and I slept between my two partners. Sasori was just a wind blocker as he didn't give off any warmth. I huddled pretty close to Deidara. He was too far asleep to realize I was so cold.

The morning was filled with running icy water over my skin and eating crusty and crumbly sandwiches Dei made at the base before we left. Gag.

My feet hurt and my back ached. Sasori refused to let me ride on top of his puppet nineteen times, and Deidara wouldn't enlarge his bird to let me on. Meanies.

It was around noon when we came to the town known for its "extensive knowledge on Bijuu"… yeah right.

I stood at the gates as my partners left. There wasn't any sense in following them in. I'd just stand guard here and wait. As soon as something caught fire I would THEN and ONLY THEN go in.

Hours passed again and I was all alone. I bet you anything they got a hotel and didn't come get me…

I decided on walking through the town in search of them.

People smiled at me as I walked. There were some who look at me with edgy glances. They were wondering why some girl was traveling all alone to an out-of-place city like this. I didn't care.

Oh look at that… they did get a hotel room.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Without even thinking I continued walking down the street and out the back gate to a river.

A bridge was strung across the water. It was wide enough to be a major river, but it wasn't marked on any map. The currents were rapid and unstoppable.

I stepped onto the wood and pulled my arms back behind my head, whistling absently as I walked. So, I'd decided. I was NOT staying with Sasori and Deidara after this week. My next week would be with Itachi and Kisame. I was looking forward to that.

I looked up from my thoughts on nothing and saw a girl on the bridge.

She was bent over the railing and leaning over the muddy water.

I gasped as she began to fall forward.

I screamed and ran at her, slamming my weight into her.

Oh wait one second, Morgan… why in the world would you put your weight into someone leaning off a bridge? Why? Well I did, and we both fell in.

I hit the water back first with my face below my feet, struggling to the surface and kicking at the current that tried to drag me down.

The girl who had fallen in managed to get her head above the water, spluttering for air.

I gripped her around the waist and tried to hold us both up.

Her hand came down on my face and I was shoved under.

I gagged on the muddy water and rose back up.

"HOLD STILL!" I screamed.

She just freaked out and dunked me under again.

Now a ninja like Itachi-sensei could have easily stood on the water… but I was an idiot and couldn't concentrate enough to do it while also fighting not to be killed by the girl I was trying to save.

I knew too much time had passed, and I was growing tired. Too much chakra was being used to help my legs stay strong.

The stranger girl was thrashing like a wild thing, but I couldn't save us.

Finally she collapsed into my arms screaming like a maniac for me to let go.

I swam as hard as I could to the rocks on the sides.

I reached for them just as my chakra gave out and we were consumed by the muddy water.

I felt my head plunge in again and my vision was obscured by that disgusting brown.

Slowly as the water pulled me down it changed to black.

So I was going to die like this? How strange.

I'd died once and ended up in Naruto… maybe I'd end up in Bleach this time… Haha… death humor…

I closed my eyes and relaxed my mind.

I wondered what will happen to that stranger girl. I couldn't feel her in my arms… maybe she had died and sunk to the muddy bottom? Or maybe she had swum to shore and I was the only to die. Figures, with my luck.

I sighed out a few bubbles and felt my mind slip away… I was too tired to fight it.

A breeze? What is that?

Where am I? What's going on? What happened?

I opened my eyes and saw a canopy of trees above me. Blue sky leaked through them and I saw a white cloud pass over me.

My fingers twitched and I felt grass underneath me.

I moaned at the pain in my legs and sat up. A girl sat in front of me as she cooked something on a stick over a little campfire.

I finally got a good look at her.

Her long black hair looked like silk, falling down past her shoulders. She blinked and I noticed her unfocused yellow eyes.… was she blind?

She seemed to sense my movement, because she turned to look in my direction. "Thanks for trying to save me back then… But you sure suck at being a ninja."

Oh yeah, I already don't like her.

"Who are you? How did we get here?"

She turned away and closed her eyes. She set down the stick and put her hands on her hips, sighing in an annoyed tone. "My name is Hikari Shizuma…."

I pursed my lips and stood up.

She turned back to me with the stick, which I now saw had a grilled fish stuck on the end.

She thrust it in my general direction, but it was pretty far from me.

I replied loudly so she can hear where I was, "My name is Morgan Stream."

She walked to me and placed the stick in my hands.

"Sorry if it tastes horrible… I'm not a very great cook…"

I tested it for poison and found it clean. I quickly learned that a life/death situation sometimes makes you ravenous.

I finished it and looked around our 'camp'.

We were sitting by the river with a forest at our backs, and the sun was setting into the tree line across the river.

I frowned and stood, but my legs give out.

I fell on my beutt and that Hikari girl smirked.

"You really are a bad ninja."

I glared at her and grumbled, "I didn't see you doing any better at getting us out of there."

The girl stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down. "I'm not a ninja, stupid. I SWAM us to shore."

I huffed in indignation and she folded her arms like she'd won some argument.

"Alright then, Hikari… Where are we?"

Her smirk disappeared, replaced by a slight frown.

"Lost."

I let my body fall flat on the ground and groaned. "I am so dead!"

She sat down a few feet from me and stated, "I'm afraid I can't see anything, so we will wait until you can see to guide us. Until then… stay away from me."

She rolled over onto her side and seemed to fall asleep.

I glared at her as the sun finally disappeared and tried to fall asleep as well.

Stupid Deidara! I blame him. Oh wait… this all happened because this Hikari chick was leaning over the water. It's her fault!

I was pretty dang mad about being called a bad ninja.

I sighed and decided I would TRY to be nice when I woke up.

I frowned as I felt my consciousness slip away. No… I will be very nice when I wake up. She's blind after all… little did I know just how well she could get along without sight…


	39. Chapter 39

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Hikari screamed as she latched her arms around my head.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BLIND!" I returned as I swayed under her weight.

"THE READERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON!" Hikari screeched.

I dropped her and replied, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!"

Hikari stood and growled, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DROPPED ME!"

I laughed nervously. "Well let's start from the top, then."

"Fine…"

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 39**

I felt heat on my body and opened my eyes. My first instinct was that my younger brother had climbed into bed with me… but that was not possible…

I sat up abruptly and saw the girl I'd met yesterday at my side.

In her sleep, she had rolled over and pressed her back into mine.

I sighed as I remembered everything that had happened.

Standing up, I walked over to the little fire pit. I relighted it and walked towards the river to catch a few fish for breakfast.

The stranger girl, Hikari, woke and sat up.

She didn't look around. I noticed her head tilting towards the sound of the fire and river. Her nose twitched and I knew she could smell the fish as I walked back to the fire.

I smiled as best I could. "Good morning." It ended up sounding more like a threat…

We hadn't really hit it off all that well yesterday.

She nodded. "Morgan…"

I nodded and realized she couldn't see it and sighed. "The food should be done soon."

She looked away with a scowl. "I don't want anything."

I sighed and ate my fish. She can die for all I care… no… must be nice to her… be NICE…

I chuckled and handed her her fish-on-a-stick. "Can you just try it?"

She glared at me with her blind eyes, and I wondered how she did it without being able to see me.

She tentatively bit into the fish, and her eyes widened and blinked several times before she swallowed.

I smirked. I am such a good cook! ^^ *very happy*

After she gulped down the rest, she smirked, "I've had WAY better."

We ended up glaring in each other's faces.

She was the first to look away. "Well, you should get going."

"Why?"

"Don't you have any FRIENDS of yours to meet up with?"

I sighed, wondering if they had realized I was missing. "Some friends they are…"

She ignored me and I asked, "Are you coming?"

She smirked. "With you? Heck no."

I glared and said, "You don't know the way." "You don't either."

So, this was the beginning of our… wonderful… 'friendship'. We both ended up walking into the forest and along the river, hopefully back towards the village.

I growled impatiently, "Can't you go any faster?!"

"I can't when you keep leading me into trees!" she shouted.

"Maybe you shouldn't run into them!" I shouted back.

We walked in tense silence as she caught up, probably using the sound of my footsteps to find me.

I felt her light touch on my shirt, and she followed me more easily and we picked up pace.

The trees were unhelpful in telling us where the village was, and I couldn't see for miles around. We were traveling up a mountain to see if we could see from there. The river doubled back on itself and joined with other streams, so following it would get us more lost…

The elevation was changing and my "friend" was having issues seeing where she was going and tripped constantly.

I sighed and stopped.

"What NOW?!" she demanded angrily.

"Get on my back."

"NO!"

"Just do it."

"I SAID NO!"

I growled and threw her over my back as I ninja-leaped through the trees and up the mountain.

We reached a ledge I can't make with her squirming and I drop her on her butt.

"WHERE ARE WE NOW?!" she shouted.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling a headache from her constant shouting, "Near the top of the mountain… Just a little farther and we can see through the trees…"

She sighed and asked, "What is that annoying sound?"

I frowned, "What sound?"

She glared in my direction, "How can you NOT hear THAT?!"

She was pointing at the wall of rock about fifty feet to our left.

About that time the rock shattered into splinters of gravel, and a waterfall roared down the mountain and straight for us.

I screamed and grabbed her hand as I dragged her to the right and out of harm's way.

There was a small ledge and I climbed to it with her on my back.

Hikari started to panic. "What happened?"

I told her how the rock fell through, and he smirked, "Told you."

I ignored her and looked around.

The only path for us was across the waterfall.

With a groan I looked for a way across and saw a tree that had fallen over and stretched through the water like a bridge.

I started towards it.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Hikari screamed as she latched her arms around my neck.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE BLIND!" I shouted as I staggered under her weight.

She screamed bloody murder, "I AM NOT LETTING YOU TAKE ME INTO THAT FALLS!"

I sighed and took the first step onto the tree.

She screamed.

I took another.

She wailed.

My third caused her to pound her fists into my back.

With the fourth, she was kicking me.

By the fifth she was pulling my hair in fright and panic.

At the sixth we were halfway across.

She screamed and shouted, "IT'S COMING AGAIN!"

I looked over my shoulder at her, ready to yell at her for being paranoid, just as the water crashed through the rock again and we were hit.

The tree broke under the pressure.

I pulled Hikari into my arms and took the brunt of the hit as we were consumed by the white water.

I couldn't breathe… Hikari had gone limp in my arms.

I held her to me and felt pain as my back hit the cliff, and we fell down the mountainside. I landed on my back and she was spared the pain from impact.

I coughed and gagged on water that still pelted us from the waterfall.

I couldn't see much until some huge boulders fell from the cliff through the water and headed straight for us.

Hikari was clinging to me now.

I rolled over her and shielded her as the rocks fell and, by some miracle, didn't hit us. Instead, they formed a kind of cave around us, blocking the water from the waterfall but also sealing us in darkness.

I shuddered and rolled off of her.

She sat up and looked around in fright and confusion. "Morgan?! Where are we?! MORGAN?!"

I muttered her name and she spun to me.

"What happened?!"

I was still pretty shaken up. "The water hit us and we fell…"

"Why wasn't I hurt?" She asked in confusion.

I laughed nervously and coughed blood from a puncture in my back from the fall.

I was really glad she couldn't see it or smell the blood.

With a small smile I laughed, "These rocks will shift under the water soon and we will be out… I promise…"

She was shaking as she leaned against my knees.

"Why wasn't I hurt?"

I didn't answer, choosing instead to change the subject.

"To pass the time… why were you leaning off that bridge anyway?"

She sighed, "It's a long story… And it all relates to how I lost my sight…"

I was interested and pushed the pain from my mind as I asked, "We have time."

She nodded. "When I was small I was subject to experiments. I was given a curse."

"Experiment" and "curse". Those were two words that I knew definitely linked to one person…

"Orochimaru?" I mumbled.

She nodded and continued. "I was given a curse when I was hardly old enough to speak. It was made so I could not see until I meet a certain set of requirements, all as his experiment."

I listened as she curled into herself, probably remembering the awful experience.

"But he decided my experiment didn't matter and gave me back to my mother. She didn't want to raise a child with a disability, a child without sight, and I was given away to another family member in the village where you saw me."

"My family… I can see how they suffer because of me. I see the pain it causes them. I see how I affect everyone… and I thought I'd be better off gone…"

I chuckled and she looked in my direction, looking confused and a little offended. I elaborated, "So we're stuck here because you went suicidal? Is that all?"

I couldn't stop giggling, and the blood she can't see dribbled down my chin.

She asked, "Why are you and your friends here?"

I smiled a bit. "I am a member of Akatsuki."

She looked at me in shock, "What?!"

I laughed and replied, "For several months actually… we came to learn about the Bijuu."

She hugged her knees as she leaned on my legs.

"Thank you, Morgan of the Akatsuki."

I laughed loudly… I was going slightly insane from blood loss…

"What were those requirements for you to see again?"

She blushed and stated, "I had to find a true friend…"

I stopped laughing and asked, "Why haven't you been able to see, then?"

She buried her head between her legs. "No one ever liked me…"

I sighed, amused by the cheeziness of the situation. "You know… you have me."

Her head snapped up to look at me, and I gazed in her direction kindly.

Her yellow eyes snapped into focus, and I knew she could see.

She gasped, "You're bleeding!"

I laughed, "That is normally what happens after you hit the ground from that kind of height with a weight on top of you…"

Hikari looked horrified. "Morgan!"

I gripped her hand and smiled. "Yeah… so now you can see…"

Her eyes were frantic.

I decided now was a good time to sleep… just for a few minutes… just for a sec…

The boulder was jerked away and I could hear the water falling towards us.

"Hold your breath and let the current take you," I muttered.

She shouted, "NO! MORGAN!"

I smiled and waited for the water, but I felt nothing.

Arms latched around me and I opened my eyes a crack.

Sasori had his arms around me and Deidara was holding Hikari.

Deidara's bird was keeping the water from hitting us as best it could.

I smiled at them and passed out.


	40. Chapter 40

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 40**

The world of sleep was peaceful… but the land of the awake was painful and full of heartache.

I knew the instant I had woken by the searing pain all over my body. Flashes of red danced over my eyelids, and my fingers twitched in the experience of it all.

I was lying on my side, pressed against something soft.

I opened my eyes a crack and looked around the blurry room.

Hikari's black hair was a mere foot from my face, with her head leaning on the bed beside me. She breathed deeply in her sleep and back out in a tired huff.

I gingerly raised a hand and swept some hair from her face before slowly trying to sit up.

Deidara was at my side in an instant to help me up.

"She just fell asleep a moment ago… You don't need to wake her yet." He whispered.

I nodded and he helped me stand.

I was wrapped almost head to toe in bandages. I had on a pair of shorts and a net shirt covered my chest, but other than that all I had was the bandages.

I held in a groan until I was led into the living room.

An elderly lady met me with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you sure she can be up?!" She demanded.

Deidara looked to me and let me go.

I swayed slightly but gave her a peace sign and quick smile to calm her.

I wish the real world had chakra that helped heal you…

Sasori walked in with a plate of what looked like rolls.

I sat down and ate them carefully.

"My diagnosis?" I asked.

Deidara sat down across from me and replied, "You had a puncture to your back into an internal organ, but that was minor enough to fix easily. A gash in the back of your head was sewn up by that woman. Your leg wasn't broken like we originally thought, so we just wrapped the rest of you up for the cuts and such."

I nodded and smiled slightly as I finished my food.

"What about Hikari?"

"She is perfect. She didn't even come out with a bruise or scratch. She actually came out better, in my opinion… being able to see that is…"

I nodded and coughed, registering a slight irritation in my throat, probably from coughing up blood earlier. Deidara sighed and called to Sasori.

"Is it time to give her the pills yet?"

He nodded and three pink pills were shoved down my throat.

My chakra consumed them and the pain faded.

"How did you find us?"

Deidara paused and counted on his fingers. "There was the fact you didn't come to the hotel, the fact that this old lady was screaming for her 'daughter', the fact that you are clumsy and there just so happened to be a huge river nearby, and the fact that when a mountain explodes you just HAVE to be somewhere near it."

I glared at him and he smirked his perky little "Yeah you're welcome" grin.

Hikari ran into the room, nearly knocking me over.

"MORGAN!"

She stopped and bowed down rapidly. "I AM SO SORRY!"

I laughed and she looked at me.

"Don't worry… *cough* I'm fine." The laugh set me coughing again…

Two more pills were shoved down my throat.

I gagged on them but ended up swallowing, and my cough stopped.

Hikari looked frustrated. "If I hadn't been such a complete-"

I frowned as she spoke and stood, dusting the crumbs from my food off of me.

"I already said it was fine… just promise not to go suicidal without me here to help!" I interrupted.

She looked stunned, "Y-You're leaving?!"

I smiled kindly and unraveled the bandages around my arms.

Her eyes widened at the perfect skin there.

She tugged me out of the room and pushed me into the bathroom.

"Please… there was still some blood… you can at least wash it all off!"

She seemed a little desperate.

I agreed and she left while I showered quickly and changed into my traveling clothes.

I was pretty much perfect by now.

I fixed my hair and walked back do the living room.

She sucked in a breath, her face practically glowing with joy. "You are so pretty, Onii-chan!"

I smiled at her and replied, "You are really pretty too, Hikari!"

She looked desperate again and looked around. "You haven't… um… you haven't done… um… Wait a sec while I think of something!"

I smiled kindly at her and stated, "I have to go at some point… I have things I have to do."

She teared up and yelled, "I'll miss you too much! You have to stay with me!"

Deidara made a rude noise before he turned and walked out of the house.

Sasori motioned for me to finish up and followed him.

I turned to my friend and smiled. "Hikari… I can't stay here."

She looked desperate as she clenched her fists and stated, "I'll come with you!"

I looked at her with a sad half-smile. "I am Akatsuki… you couldn't do it."

"I can do anything! I can do it!" she yelled, stubbornly crossing her arms.

I sighed and added, "And you will die. It is that simple. You aren't a ninja!"

She shouted, "I saved you in the river!"

"And I saved you from falling! Now please, just listen to me!"

She sighed and waited for me to continue.

"The Akatsuki are dangerous people. What if you get there and end up in way over your head? I can't help you then. I won't be able to save you."

She glared and shouted, "I don't care! You are my best friend! I can't let you go!"

I gave her a fake angry glare. "You will never make it! You will always fail! You can't do anything on your own!"

She screamed back at me, "JUST YOU WAIT! I'LL BE THE BEST NINJA EVER! I'LL BE BETTER THAN YOU! I'LL GET INTO THE AKATSUKI AND BE WITH YOU FOREVER!"

I shouted back, a smile peeking through my facade, "I BET YOU CAN'T!"

"JUST YOU WAIT! I'LL PROVE YOU ALL WRONG!"

I smiled at her and thumped her shoulder as I turned to the door, "I'll see you then."

She didn't turn to face me, but muttered, "Bye…"

I laughed and darted out the door.

Deidara grabbed me by the upper part of my arms and pulled me onto his clay bird, and we took off into the sky.

Sasori nodded to me from his side of the clay bird and I returned it.

A voice from the ground shouted, "Thank you, Morgan! I'll miss you!"

I waved at her, and we sailed into the clouds and disappeared into the sky.

~Hikari~

Several days passed before I could talk my family into letting me go traveling to a village to train to become the ninja I promised Morgan I would become. I left a week after she had left me.

I was mesmerized by everything in sight. My eyes simply could not take it all in. All the colors I'd never seen were enough to pull me away for hours to stare at the sky or a field.

Weeks turned into months before I found a village that would take me in.

I told the leader of that village about my encounter with my friend. At her name, several people jumped at me with questions about her.

A boy, whose name I learned was named Shikamaru, demanded to know if she was happy or if she seemed sad.

I told them all the same thing: "Morgan is amazing. She is the nicest person alive!"

Maybe it was an exaggeration… who cares? I love her anyway!

My best friend is wandering the Earth, and I'm beginning to learn to love the village of Konoha.

I met many more people who were added to my quickly growing list of friends. With every new face and name, my eyes seemed to sharpen, while my memory of Morgan seemed more faint, more of a dream.

Even after years had passed… after all the rumors and gossip that popped up about her… I still remembered one thing more than anything else- I remembered her laugh. I could hear it echoing in my brain and rebounding into the hall of unforgettable memories.

I still hadn't learnt to cook that stew she did… it bugged me, but oh well.

It was just another thing to add to the things Morgan could do that I remembered.

Morgan Stream… a name I would never forget.


	41. Chapter 41

Author: Now shake hands so we can get this over with…

Morgan: I don't want to!

Author: Just do it.

Hidori: *BEEP* NO!

Author: *sweat drop* DO IT.

Hidori and Morgan shake hands.

Morgan sighs and looks to Hidori. "Author-chan says we are supposed to explain a few things you need to know about the story and have a truce."

"Such as the issue with who won the poll for who Morgan ends up with." Hidori adds.

Morgan nods and points to a huge board with tally marks on it. "Itachi won. I gave this poll on the other sites I go to as well, and he scored higher than anyone else."

Hidori adds as she taps the board, "This is final no matter what you wish. Itachi is the end of it."

"Oh and the romance won't really start up all the way for a few more chapters."

Hidori smirks, "And as for the issue of Morgan having way too many guys after her… that is over. Itachi will end up with her, Deidara is just a friend, and Shika just cares."

Morgan nods rapidly.

Author: Ahem… the subject on your jutsu, Morgan…

Morgan giggles nervously at the sky, "Of course!"

"Okay so the jutsu isn't exactly a jutsu at all. It does use hand signs but that is only to help focus the chakra. Let me give you some basics…:

It goes like this:

1\. Morgan releases chakra in abundance through the tiny bites where Shino's insects bit her, causing them to take form into tiny spikes as they grow near the ends and shoot from her. This is the "Last Chance Defense" attack.

2 For the jutsu that launches the spikes from her she forms the chakra behind the bites and pulls the bite marks together, and the chakra and and several spikes shoot forward from being held in so long. They are controlled by her body as she wishes it as it is her chakra to mold. It shoots out and attacks the opponent. (Note: the attack normally follows her eye's focus. So wherever she looks it goes.) This is called "Stay Away"…

3\. The third attack is the first half of the tracker type jutsu. She shoots out the chakra and lets it shoot off on its own path. The chakra is actually vibrating fast enough to move through the molecules of trees and rocks. It finally settles enough to pin into something and the chakra washes out in its circle like radius to consume the land between each spike. Anything in the area can now be seen by the user. This is called "Flush". Lol

4\. The jutsu for the clones is called "Mirror Image", and id does what the name suggests. The chakra solidifies into a crystal and, as Morgan's image appears in it, it sends out its own reflection of that and it does the user's bidding like a normal clone.

5\. And here is a jutsu you will see in the future called "Ice Breaker". It forms a wall out of a chakra spike from the user's feet, rising into the air as a shield. It can also be moved and used as an attack move if needed.

Hidori nods her head at Morgan and she returns it, "If that is all, I'm gone."

Morgan sighs, "We forgot to explain Daichi."

Hidori rolls her eyes and states, "Drew's counterpart and opposite did not die when Kakuzu attacked… He survived and is named Daichi. He will be epic in the future so please remember him and who he is, though he won't be much mentioned now."

Morgan glares at Hidori, "Drew is alive and was shown to have been talking and meeting with Daichi and Hidori on his travels without his memory. His jutsu is basically chakra claws coming from his hands like Wolverine- WOLVERINE IS AWESOME!"

Author: Sorry I had to add that~!

They sigh and glare at the sky, "DON'T MAKE US SAY WEIRD STUFF LIKE THAT!"

Author: *evil look* Haha…

Morgan sighs and pull the edge of the screen up at the corner.

Hidori demands in horror, "What are you doing?!"

She smirks and states, "We are switching to the filler for the rest of this chapter!"

"What filler?" Hidori demands.

Morgan laughs, "You'll see!"

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 41**

~Filler that is awesome sauce~

My name is Drew. Or at least, I think it is Drew. I have a necklace on with that name stamped on them. My memory is gone, so this is the best I can give myself.

I also have something else. I guess it was a picture of me before I apparently lost my memory.

It's a picture of me and some girl together. She stands in the center smiling at the camera. Long golden hair cascades over her shoulder and over my arm, which is behind her shoulders as I make a goofy face at the camera. My other hand is stretched up into a peace sign. A dog is jumping at our feet. On the back of the photo is a name…

I mutter it to myself, "Morgan Stream…"

The name registers as familiar and I sighed. My last name wasn't on the dog tags. I wonder sometimes if she was my sister… but in the picture we look nothing alike.

I wonder what happened to her, and if she is still alive…

I roam the land without a plan. People talk to me and I say the same things each time.

They ask me my name and the answer is, "Drew, I think."

They ask my age and I reply, "Around sixteen."

If they asked where my home is, I answer, "A long way from here."

If I was near my home I'm sure I would recognize it… I don't.

My life was centered on traveling. I'm attacked a lot in this country… it seems bandits are very common here.

I always leave victorious and with a new treasure.

In my backpack I have several oddly shaped knives, twenty-nine headbands from every ninja I took one from, money that I don't know how to spend, letters, books, scrolls, and so many other things that I hardly remember most of it.

Every person I kill I take something from. I wonder if they really need it after death. I wonder who would end up with it if I didn't take it. I wonder a lot of things, actually.

Sometimes I sell things when my bag gets too heavy. Just more money to lug around, but oh well…

People always tell me where "hotels" are, but the only one I went to was rather boring and I felt confined.

So instead, every night I sleep outside on the ground and stare up at the stars, or clouds, or rain and let myself be washed away into sleep.

I know time has passed but I never record it. I simply continue on until I come to something interesting. That was how I ended up where I am now.

This is where I'll start my real story…

The poster in front of me was bright red and black with a five or so faces on it. It read: Fatwa Organization, Bounty of XXX yen.

I didn't really know how much money that was, but I read on about the leader.

"At an age of forty-five he has assaulted and raped thirteen women in the Land of Earth. Known for the kidnap of nineteen small children and the murder of thirty men he is a wanted criminal."

"Are you a bounty hunter, sir?" A woman behind me asked.

I smiled to her and replied, "No, not exactly…"

She smiled to me and stated, "I'd be wary around here… That man on the loose is very dangerous."

Judging by her voice, she was around seventy or so.

I looked back to the poster and she went on, "My granddaughter was abducted by him five years ago… She was such a nice girl, only eleven years old… he lured her in and made off with her…"

I looked over to the wall of the missing children posters.

The woman laughed sadly, "My granddaughter isn't up there anymore… We took it down three years ago when the board began to fill up…"

I asked curiously, "What did she look like, ma'am?"

"She was a gorgeous girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes and lovely long lashes…"

I pulled the picture from my bag and smiled at it.

I turned to the lady and asked, "Just so I know where do avoid… where is his hide out?"

The woman sighed, "He lives far into the mountains… it is way too far for us to reach, and ninja never venture this far into the country to help us."

I nodded and shouldered my backpack higher, lifting a hand in goodbye.

"I'll see you soon, ma'am."

I walked on into the sunset, on and on until the mountain was finally in sight.

It reached up into the sky, and I realized exactly why the woman and villagers had never ventured to its heights.

I took to it and hiked at an almost straight up angle.

I sweated and groaned in exhaustion as I pulled myself up the cliff.

The rocks gave and I slipped down several feet.

The blades from my hand flew out, and I skidded to a halt.

I clenched my teeth in my frustration and climbed more quickly up the mountain.

If the girl was the same as the one in the picture, I had to work hard to find her… it was a lead, the only lead, I had for recovering my memories.

The top of the highest peak was within reach as I pulled myself over the edge. From my vantage point, I could gaze down at a flat area where a small village was built.

Men laughed and walked through the streets like friends as women and children cowered and ran from building to building.

I slid on my back down the ledge and towards the village, crouching as I landed on my feet near the village outskirts.

No one saw me as I snuck into the shadows of the buildings.

A girl around the age of six was there as I snuck up behind her.

She gasped as I caught her mouth in my hands.

I whispered for her to be quiet, and I carried her to the mountain wall where I had come from, away from the village.

She squirmed but I held her firmly and looked up the mountain side.

My power swirled within me, and the blades that normally appeared on my fists appear on my toes as I ran as best I could up the incline. I was lucky no one seemed to see me.

I reached the top and slid over on my side and ducked inside a cave with the girl.

She was released and huddled into the blackest corner of the cave.

I smiled and stated, "My name is Drew… I have a few questions for you."

She looked scared. "Are you one of them?"

I frowned, "One what?"

She trembled as she spoke, "One of the men who take us?"

I laughed and replied, "I am here to take you down the mountain."

She beamed and tackled me over.

"Thank you! But you have to save the others too! We can't leave! We can't get away!"

I nodded and handed her a kunai.

"Can you draw me a map of the area? I will be better able to find them all if I know the way."

She drew the village and the mountain. The side I had scaled was the only one without trees or jagged peaks.

I sighed and looked down at the cliff, then at some boulders near the girl.

"Do you see those rocks over there?"

She nodded.

"I want you to hold onto one and close your eyes, but you have to promise you won't open them."

She nodded and held the rock tightly.

I looked down the mountain and frowned in concentration. I lowered my hands to the ground, and the power ripped through the earth in a path straight down the cliff.

I told her to open her eyes, and she saw the slide.

"Now, we will play a game. I'm going to give you something, and you have to slide down as best you can."

She nodded and I pulled one of the headbands from my pack and tied it around her eyes.

I pushed her onto the slide and she laughed as she zoomed down. At least she couldn't see how far she had to go…

I turned back to the rest of the village and slipped down and past the guards.

I maneuvered through the streets of criminal men as I looked for a housing complex in the village.

I stepped into the house and three guards stopped me.

They ended up dead, and I entered to face the group of around twenty women and girls.

I smiled at their scared faces, and one woman shouted, "What did you do to Kioko?!"

I raised my hands in a pacifying gesture, "She is down the mountain."

They looked bewildered as they cried and hugged me in happiness.

"You can get us out!"

I nodded and looked around.

I motioned for them to follow and lead them group moved slowly so they wouldn't be heard by any of the men. When we reached the cliff, I summoned my chakra claws to my hands and feet. I needed to make footholds for them to climb…

I ran up the wall like a dog, leaving perfect holds.

The women and children climbed, and I carried a few of the youngest girls.

I pointed to the slide, and they started to go down the mountain. Some tied head bands over their eyes.

I heard a scream as the women at the bottom were attacked by men.

I jumped down and knocked one man to the ground.

A beautiful blonde teenage girl looked frightened at her surroundings, watching in horror as I took down some of the men.

I yelled for her to go, and she argued about my sake.

"I am fine! Go!" I shouted.

She nodded, "My grandmother will be forever grateful…"

So the girl from my picture wasn't here either… ah well…

I battled men off and watched as the last girl disappeared over the rim.

I sighed and turned full blast on the attackers.

With a shout of pain they all died at my hands.

I breathed in sharply as the ground began to shake.

Large cracks appeared on the ground. The mountain had been riddled with caves, and all the fighting and my creation of the slide had caused a cave in! The mountain was going down!

I groaned in exhaustion, but pushed past the tired limits of my body as I ran up the wall to the edge.

That girl from before was still waiting for me.

"Come on!" she called as she stood beside the slide.

I grabbed her in my arms and threw the backpack over my shoulders as I took off running down the slide.

Several times I slid on my feet, and we reached the bottom at a dead out sprint.

The ground at the bottom was flat, and we ran on for several minutes. The other women were all running as we caught up to them.

I shouted for them to hurry, and we just barely escaped as the mountain collapsed.

The villagers wept with happiness and relief as children returned to mothers and women to their husbands.

The blonde girl from before and her grandmother approached me. Their eyes were brimming with happy tears. "We owe you the rewards… No, we owe you our lives…"

I smiled, "No need."

"What is it you travel in search of?" they asked.

I handed the grandmother my picture, "I'm searching for this girl… ever seen her?"

She frowned and shook her head, "I'm sorry…"

I sighed before stowing the picture and thanking them for their help. I lifted a hand in goodbye and turned to leave the village.

The girl ran up behind me, "Thank you Mister!"

I turned slightly and smiled at her, "My name's Drew."

And I turned and continued my journey for the smiling, happy girl in my photo. I will never give up as long as I live. She is the only clue to my memories, and I vow to find her.


	42. Chapter 42

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 42**

It was my fifth day with Deidara and Sasori, and we had basically run out of leads on the Bijuu… Well, I know everything, but I didn't want Deidara or Sasori to die so I kept quiet.

We found ourselves deep in the middle of no where somewhere in the Land of Fire.

"Look what you did, Deidara." Sasori muttered under his breath inside his puppet.

Deidara looked around at the dead ninja and sighed, "My bad."

I asked, "Can I open my eyes?"

They told me I could, and I looked at the bodies. They weren't Konoha ninja, but I still felt bad…

~this is another filler if you haven't realized it yet~

I sighed, "So what are we eating today?"

Deidara plucked a mushroom from the ground and I looked at it with disdain. "You're not serious, right?"

He shrugged and I gagged. No way. I was SO going to town to get REAL food.

I left with a wave and just walked away.

They followed me after a while, and SOMEHOW with my AWFUL sense of direction we ended up in a town.

The place was pretty empty… more like a ghost town…

We walk into a restaurant and sat down.

A man walked up to Sasori and asked, "You sellin' that girlie?"

I noted the horrible accent.

Sasori frowned, "No."

The man smirked, showing rotted out teeth. "I'll pay you more than 'nough."

I grimaced and looked to Deidara.

"Save me" was written all over my face.

He sighed and stated, "She isn't for sale."

The man growled and moved closer to us.

I ACTED frantic as I stood and whimpered, "Please! He could hurt you! I'll just go with him…"

The man nodded with a smirk, thinking he'd won.

I kicked the bad person in the groin right there and hung him from the ceiling fan by his rotted out teeth.

We left with me dusting my hands and shouting, "And Morgan saves the day from yet another bad person!"

Sasori and Deidara anime sweat dropped and I laughed.

We walked through the place and I ended up doing the same thing I did at the restaurant to nine other rude men before we found a hotel.

I walked inside and saw the poor living conditions.

I decided that this would be a FUN trip, even if I had to MAKE it fun.

When the others weren't looking, I snuck out the door and back to the street.

I snickered as I snuck into a house and stole some dude's boxers and tied them to a flag pole.

Heh heh…

I cracked an egg into a sleeping drunk's mouth as he snored on a sidewalk. He gagged and jerked up, running smack into a fall before collapsing back to the earth. Heheheheheh…

A man touched me inappropriately, and I threw him into a water well and shouted, "JIMMY FELL DOWN THE WELL AND CAN'T GET UP! SOMEONE CALL LIFE ALERT!"

I was on a straight out roll as a band of robbers attacked me.

I stepped to the side, and one of them hit his partner in the bad place to hit a guy.

I jumped over a sword and the guy got stuck in a pole.

The third man swung a board with a nail through it at me, and I stepped to the side. The guy who had his sword stuck got a thousand years of death straight through with a nailed up board. Hah.

That was the end of them, and I was richer than I started with!

Jimmy was just climbing out of the well as I walked by and shoved him back in. ^^

A kid was kicking a puppy, so I used a qenjutsu to turn it into a big bad wolf and they ran away. Pffft, cowardly bad people.

Jimmy was a few feet from the well after climbing out again. As I walked back past the well, I punched him and kept walking, and he tripped back into the well.

I returned to the hotel later that night, and Sasori and Deidara were waiting for me.

"Where were you so late, Morgan?" they asked.

I shrugged, "Out."

Deidara stood and banged his hands on the table, "DANGIT, MORGAN! I WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU WERE!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, "I don't have to tell you! You're not my dad!"

Sasori stated, "Listen to him, Morgan!"

I asked in a rough tone, "WHO ARE YOU? MY MOTHER?!"

Deidara shouted, "DO NOT TALK TO US LIKE THAT! GO TO YOUR ROOM THIS INSTANT!"

"FINE! I HATE YOU! I HOPE YOU ALL DIE IN YOUR SLEEP!" I shouted.

I stormed over to my bed and lay down. "Stupid parents."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Day six with Sasori and Deidara…

We left the village and continued walking without another word about the day before. I wasn't going to bring THAT up again.

We ended up at a temple today. Yay!

Yeah… how random does it get?

Well, we were all hungry and we wouldn't be allowed in seeing as we were criminals.

So my uniform was taken and I wore basically rags up to the door and banged on it.

Someone opened it and I gave my very best puppy dog eyes.

*British accent* "Please sir… may I possibly botha you for a wee bit of bread and wata?"

Now what monk could ignore a face like mine!

They led me in and I gave the sob story…

"My motha and fatha died when I was so very, very young… my brotha just passed away to the good land of heaven just a month ago… I rememba his last words… Morgan… just stay away from the cheese… I miss him eva so much… he was such a dear… oh, but I feel so faint! Is that you brotha? Are you coming for me? Where are you? Brotha?"

I was piled up with so much food you'd have thought a whole village had come to beg instead of just one girl who really enjoyed acting…

I was given a very pretty kimono and was about to be escorted out the gates.

"Wait no please… kind sir… there it is not proper for a homeless, poor, poor child like myself to take so much from your generous, and beautiful selves… Brotha would be ever so thankful…"

I ended up with three more blankets and five more bread rolls. Go me!

I left and met up with Sasori and Deidara, and we shared the spoils. Heheh…

Around noon the next day, we were all snacking and talking and laughing about my 'acting skillz' when we met another girl on the road.

"Please… my dear sista only just died today! Please give me wata!"

I dropped my canteen and a bundle of food at her feet and kept walking. I felt really bad…

The rest of day passed slowly. It was my last day with team SasoDei.

It was time to part, and we started the walk towards the meeting point where Itachi and Kisame would be waiting.

And so we will leave you now with the promise of a longer chapter next time… :3


	43. Chapter 43

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 43**

~Itachi and Kisame~

The two walked on air as they traveled without leaving any sign of a trail behind them. Nothing would reveal their path to followers.

Careful eyes danced over the trees and shrubs with a predator's outlook on who could be hidden there.

After a while Kisame sighed and began a conversation with his partner, "Looking forward to Morgan coming along, Itachi?"

The man looked over his shoulder at Kisame but only grunted with a shrug.

Kisame went on, undeterred, "You always seemed to have had a soft spot for her. You even volunteered to train her yourself."

Itachi frowned, "I don't want her anywhere near me."

Kisame looked shocked, "What?! Why?!"

Itachi turned and glared with his Sharingan as they flickered from red to gone.

Kisame's eyes widened, "It's that time again is it?"

Itachi turned and walked on. "We will not speak of this a moment more."

Kisame nodded and followed him onward. He moved a hand to his sword. He had to be on his guard with these new conditions…

They fell back into silence as the meeting point came into view.

Morgan was sitting on a rock by the road, looking boredly around at the trees.

Her eyes snapped to them as they arrived in front of her.

"The others left several hours ago. I'm ready now."

I smiled at them and tried to hold back from tackling them over into a huge hug. I missed them so much in only a week…

Ah what the heck!

I jumped at them and wrapped an arm around each of their necks and gripped them to me. "I missed you guys!"

Kisame turned purple and Itachi stood there until I backed away.

I smirked at them and stated, "Finally, someone I can talk to!"

Kisame looked to Itachi and then to me in confusion, "Eh?"

We began walking and my mind registered this as "Morgan/Itachi time". When we used to train, I would feel like this and I always sprung into a great mood.

"I remember when I was five that my mom and dad took me camping and a huge storm hit! I was so scared and frightened, but when it was all over I realized how stupid I was to be so scared!"

Itachi nodded in the appropriate places and grunted replies as he led the way.

Kisame wrote in a notebook about our conversations for later evaluation.

It never crossed my mind he was listening.

"Was your brother with you?" Kisame asked.

I nodded and shot off again, "Yeah… he was just as freaked as I was! But he got over it a lot faster than I did!" I laughed, "But the shock got to me later, and I freaked out again and he began to cry because I was crying!"

Itachi SMILED here. "I see…"

Kisame scratched on the paper as fast as he could.

I sighed and added, "But he probably hates me now…"

Itachi looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and I smiled grimly, "I always picked on him so much he despised me…"

He nodded, "I understand."

I talked on and on like I did during training as we walked together.

I finally asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're all gathering information on our Bijuu." Kisame answered.

I nodded my head. In the future, Kisame would end up getting his so I didn't really care about telling him anything.

A boom of thunder rumbled through the quickly darkening clouds.

I glanced up just as Kisame and Itachi looked down at their rings.

"What?" I asked.

They muttered, "We are being called for a meeting…"

I watched in surprise as they simply sat down and drifted off to the meeting without another word to me.

I glared at the ground before glancing at the trees behind me.

I watched them for a while and ran for cover as the rain began to fall.

I loved the rain, but when there's thunder and lightning together and an all-out war zone of sky is created… I freaked.

My breathing sped up and I backed against a tree.

Thunder rang through my ears, lightning flashed behind my eyelids; wind froze my skin and clogged my throat, fright shot through me.

Storms always worried me. I never realized they affected me THIS much.

I muttered aloud, "Stormy… camping in the storms…"

Neither of the teammates could hear me.

I heard a deafening clap of thunder and the lightning lit the tree beside me on fire.

That was the end of my sanity.

At a flat out ninja sprint I took off in a random direction as fast as I could.

I wanted to be at the base so badly… I wanted to go home!

The wind pulled at my clothes and I felt my legs sweep out from under me as I fell down a steep hill.

I rolled at the bottom just as the wind pushed a tree over on my left.

I screamed and rolled myself into a trembling ball.

Someone appeared in front of me.

I screamed, "HELP ME!"

I felt arms close around me and I fainted from hyperventilating.

~Itachi and Kisame~

The thunder consumed all hearing. Lightning consumed vision. Wind removed all sense of touch. Rain washed all signs of life away.

Kisame and Itachi were concentrating hard on keeping the jutsu… they couldn't afford to worry about their partner and what had happened to her.

That is, until the meeting was over and they opened their eyes.

Morgan was gone.

Kisame cursed, "Where did she go now?!"

Itachi scanned the ground and muttered, "The storm… it scared her… she must have run."

Kisame looked confused and Itachi pointed to the scorch marks. "Lightning struck just beside her."

Kisame looked around, "Where would a lost little kid go?"

Itachi frowned, "She didn't know where she could go… We should just split up for now. We can search more easily that way."

Kisame nodded, and the two ninja jumped in opposite directions.

~? ? ? ? ? ? ?~

I listened in on the two men talking. They spoke with familiarity though they dressed in Akatsuki attire…

So Morgan has gone missing in the woods during a storm? How tragic…. for her.

I smirked and laughed as I turned to the others behind me.

"Daichi… I have a mission for the two of you…"

Drew looked at Hidori with hopeful eyes.

She smiled, "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Drew! As soon as you find her, just blow the whistle and we can save her before they find her!"

Drew looked confused. "You said the girl in my picture was this Morgan girl… but what does she have to do with such bad criminals like the Akatsuki?"

Hidori laughed coldly, "They've kidnapped her and taken her from you! She is afraid of what they might do if she betrays them, so she might try and convince you otherwise… but I know you can do it! You are the best, Drew!"

Drew looked at the spot where the men had stood with a glare mixed with countless emotions.

Fear, anger, hatred, jealousy, worry, happiness, longing, depressing, and hope, his eyes contain them all.

He closed them and looked away as he bit his lower lip. "Right…"

He ninja jumped in the direction Itachi had gone.

He remembered very well the day he and Hidori had met. It was far beyond horrible.

She had looked like the girl in his picture… but her aura was so different from what the picture emanated that he had been sure they were not the same.

At first he had only been wary, but now he was suspicious. She had told him she could show him the REAL Morgan Stream…

Drew sighed and continued running, thunder booming as the rain continued to fall.

~Morgan~

I woke up screaming as I held my head.

Several sets of hands touched me, and I gawked up at the people around me.

A small girl around the age of 3 blinked and smiled at me.

Another slightly older girl patted my arm and said very proudly, "We made you all~ better!"

The other girl giggled and held my hand.

My confusion grew the more I looked at them.

Another person, a young woman, walked in and looked surprised.

"Oh! You're up! Welcome to our humble abode! My name is Paige. I hope you will stay with us for a while."

I blinked in surprise as I remembered the storm and how badly I had lost it… I couldn't help it, I was scared of those really bad storms…

The three girls stared and smiled as I flexed my hands and fingers before standing.

I smiled warmly at them, "I am Morgan Stream of the Akat-"

I didn't get to finish as the door burst open and a soaking wet person barged in on us. Lightning flash and hid his face in shadow.

The two girls screamed and hid behind me and the woman, Paige.

The lightning dissipated and the revealed who it was.

"Itachi!" I gasped.

He shook his hair like a dog and stated, "How is it you always end up in a sheltered place?"

I looked at the scared girl and smiled, "It's fine, he's my good friend."

The older of the two little girls stood in front of us, boldly pointing a finger at Itachi.

"My name is Faythe! You had better not hurt Paige or Amber!"

I easily picked her up and smiled at her.

I walked her over to Itachi and he looked at me uncertainly.

I smirked, "Just say hello…"

He nodded and greeted her with a veeeeery small smile.

I set Faythe down and Paige nodded to me. "Well, I can't let you drip all over the floor! Go change!"

She looked at Itachi and stated, "I don't have anything big enough for you."

Itachi smirked and replied, "I can find something."

I groaned…


	44. Chapter 44

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 44**

Paige darted around the kitchen in a blur.

"Please make yourselves at home until I finish cooking the meal!"

I smiled at her and distracted the little girls, Faythe and Amber, from bothering her.

"Have you ever heard the story about the Princess and the wolf?"

The girls sat on the floor in front of me, "Ooh! Tell us! Tell us!"

I smiled at them and they scooted forward. (I really just wanted an excuse to tell one of my stupid stories! Heheheheheh!)

"Once upon a time there was a selfish princess. Though she was spoiled and mean, she was beautiful… she was so beautiful that even animals fell in love with her!"

"What was her name?!" Faythe asked.

I smiled, "Her name was Ice, and she was just like that… cold as ice. She had all of these people and creatures who loved her but never returned any bit of their love."

The girls were almost begging for more at my feet.

"And then one day the princess received a bouquet of roses more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. She wanted the entire garden of those who grew them. She read the letter that was addressed to her, 'My dear Princess Ice, I have fallen head over heels for you. If you promise to meet me I will give you more flowers than you can imagine!' "

Itachi walked through the living room wearing the apron as he cleaned and fetched things for Paige.

Amber giggled and I smiled more, "But the princess's younger sister, Rose, who was just a beautiful as Ice, believed this to be a trick and warned her stingy sister to be careful. Ice only wanted the roses and ignored her. Rose was kind and quiet… no one really noticed her under Ice's brilliant smirk and power."

Paige set the plates on the counter, handing Faythe and Amber theirs, and listened in.

"So the Princess Ice traveled to the castle's gates and opened them. A handsome man stood there with a chariot of roses. Ice stole them and locked the prince in his dungeon so she could take his kingdom and all of its roses as her own.

Now Rose felt sorry for the prince and begged her sister to give everything back. But stubborn and proud Ice would not listen…"

Everyone was watching me now and listening to the story, "So the next day a box of chocolates arrives for Ice. She ate them and discovered they were the most delicious things she had ever tasted. She read the letter attached, "My dear Princess Ice, I have fallen head over heels for you. If you promise to meet me I will give you more chocolate than you can imagine!"

Ice, being the type of person she was, ignored Rose's warnings and threw the gates open to meet the chocolate bringer.

A king stood there with a cart full of chocolate! She threw him in prison with the Prince and took all of the food he brought her. Yet again Rose tried to free them with her words but, alas, Ice would not listen. She grew more excited by the hour. If the first man had brought a chariot of roses and the second had brought a cart of candies then the next would most definitely bring the most luxurious gift yet… and more of it than the others…"

Faythe and Amber sat in my lap, watching me with rapt attention as they ate.

"So when the next package arrived, there was a rabbit pelt softer than anything Ice had ever felt. She read the letter to Rose, "My dear Princess Ice, I have fallen head over heels for you. If you promise to meet me I will give you more skins than you can imagine!"

Rose tried in vain to stop her sister, but the spoiled princess ran to the gates anyway. Upon her arrival and after she had thrown open the gates, she found no one there. She stepped out curiously… surely the gift was too large to bring through the gates! Instead the gates closed and she met the sender of the letter. It was a terrible and hungry wolf. The wolf laughed at her stupidity and ate her up. Princess Ice was made into the most beautiful pelt ever…"

"So Rose was left alone without her older sister. She released the Prince and the King. She was left well enough for some time… that was until a pelt arrived for her, along with a letter, "My dear Princess Rose, I have fallen head over heels for you. If you promise to meet me I will give you more pelts than you can imagine."

Rose knew exactly who had sent the gift. She hated the wolf for eating her sister and planned to destroy it. She had archers set up along the wall and she opened the huge gates.

The wolf stood there watching the archers.

Rose said, "If you give back my sister to me I will not kill you."

The wolf laughed and stated, "Why should I let such a wicked person return?"

Rose gave the wolf a firm look, "Ice is my sister! No matter what she has done… no matter how cruel she is or was… I love her and she deserves not to be eaten by you!"

The wolf laughed, "So you would do anything for this sister of yours? Even change places with her?"

The princess dropped to her knees, crying and begging for the wolf to trade her for her sister.

The wolf agreed and Ice was turned back from the pelt into a human, and she ran to the safety of the castle without even noticing her sister. Rose was led away by the wolf, back to the woods."

Faythe was curled into me as she listened. Amber had pulled Itachi over and was sitting in his lap beside me.

I continued, "So the kingdom rejoiced that their beautiful princess Ice had returned, and did not give a care to the younger and much kinder of the two. Rose followed the wolf for ten days and nights into the woods to the deserted, desolate land of a dead country. The wolf turned to her and stated, "This is where I lived once upon a time." Rose looked around and asked, "Where are the flowers?" The wolf answered, "Dead." She asked, "What is there to eat?" The wolf responded, "Nothing." The girl dropped to the ground and cried, "What creature could survive here?! What can a land such as this do to prosper? How did this become so?"

The wolf answered with a sigh, "Selfishness…"

Rose asked, "What do you mean?" The wolf stated, "A prince once lived here and ruled a great land of wealth, until he became too greedy for his own good and ruined the earth of his land. The land died and the people revolted. The selfish prince chose to beg a fairy to heal the land so as to save him. If only he had asked for the people's sake, things might have turned differently… But the fairy cursed his land and him, turning the flowers into a prince and the food into a king… and the prince into a wolf… They would challenge the rule of each kingdom to test its mercy. If one could prove gracious enough to give themselves up for another, then the spell would be broken."

Rose looked to the wolf and asked, "So you are this prince?"

The wolf nodded his head as the fairy appeared in a shower of gold. She was more beautiful than anyone Rose has ever seen. She said, "For your graciousness you are to be given one wish." Rose thought of her sister and all the ways she could make her happy… "But if you make a wish then the wolf's kingdom cannot be returned to its original state."

Rose fell to the ground. She thought carefully and stated, "I have a wish…"

The wolf glared at his paws.

"I wish for this land to become better than before…I want the wolf a prince… I want his kingdom to be more peaceful! I want the people to be well feed! I wish this kingdom would become more wonderful than any before or after it! That is my wish!"

And so the wolf transformed into a man, and the prince and king who had been locked by Ice back into the dungeon turned into the earth and animals once more.

Rose looked around at her wish, and the wolf/prince wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheeks again and again. And at last he said, "You are fairer than the black hearted Ice could ever be!"

And so Rose and Wolfe married, and lived in the peaceful and lovely kingdom.

Ice, hating their kingdom and how much better they ruled, attacked her sister.

As a result, the fairy cursed her to an age of learning. She was turned into an ugly rat and sent to find a man who could love something as ugly as a rat until the end of time. To this day Ice still roams the land looking for someone as generous as Rose had been to a wolf… And so the kind Princess Rose lived happily ever after."

Faythe and Amber were awed with me as they finished their food and hugged me, giggling with delight at the story's happy end.

I held one on each hip as I walked around, cleaning up with Paige.

~Itachi~

She watched with the two of them with a patient look in her eyes. Her voice was calm and firm… her eyes were sharp but loving. Her manners were perfect towards the kids.

She talked to them and did not shout.

Itachi found her gaze much like his mother's… so she could be mature after all…

He smirked slightly at that thought and finished up the rest of the chores with them.

Morgan tucked the children to bed, and we were finally left with Paige to talk.

The rain continued to pour outside as everyone sat down at the table.

~Morgan/me~

Paige was a pretty person… She had dirty blonde hair and beautiful ocean-blue eyes. Her skin was pale and I wondered if it was natural or because of where she lived.

She was very mature… even for her young age she could take care of two children all alone… My respect weller up and I asked, "Why do you live with them alone?"

Paige looked at me, "I traveled a lot several years ago, but things turned worse when my family was involved in an accident and passed away. I always thought this forest was perfect and calm, so my sisters and I moved here… I live alone with Faythe and Amber now."

I smiled to her, and, to my horror, she asked me and Itachi, "You two have children together?"

Itachi and I did a double take at her.

I stood and screamed with a blood red face, "NO WAY!"

Itachi's face was almost redder than mine, "N-No!"

Paige laughed and added in, "You both acted so familiar with children! It was only a joke!"

I gaped at her as she laughed at me. This chick is freaking bipolar or something! O.O

She smiled at me and then to Itachi. "Well, I bet your kid would be really cute!"

I looked to Itachi and he looked to me. We both went through the thought process with pictures in little cloud thoughts above our heads.

Male bathroom sign + female bathroom sign = changing station.

I had a major eye twitch and screamed and rolled on the floor holding my eyes.

Itachi walked to the sink, splashed water on his face, and promptly left the room.

I stood and looked at the laughing Paige and shouted, "You are SO far dead!"

She ran away laughing, and I tackled into her.

She giggled and cooed, "But you two are so cute together!"

I placed a hand in front of the camera lens so you, 'the reader', can't see anything.

"Well, we shall end this chapter so I can teach Paige a lesson on what not to say to people!"

Paige's voice echoes, "IT WAS ONLY A JOKE! I PROMISE!"


	45. Chapter 45

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 45**

My name is Drew. You already know my name and few more things. Time has passed since I lost my memories… but some have returned on their own.

I now know I am eighteen years old. My birthday has passed in this world. I also know that my personality from before and now is different.

I remember short things about my past and the girl in the photograph. I remember being young and playing with her at a park. She held my hand as we slid down the slides, and I remember the ache of a child's crush in my young chest. Her name is Morgan Stream.

I remember the days I spent with her, laughing. My personality was so carefree and fun-loving I almost hate my old self.

I cannot laugh as much now. I feel hollow and alone. Depression is far from view, though. I have a single purpose with my serious gaze and straight forward attitude… I must find Morgan Stream. That is my only goal.

But like I said, though I am serious I do have a heart. My last debut saw me saving women and children from kidnappers. I don't have an unfeeling heart, I only choose to be more realistic.

Hidori promised me she could give Morgan to me. Of course, they are similar in appearance, but I do not feel that sense of friendship towards her. Even when I first laid my eyes on her, I knew she was not my friend. Ice in her eyes summons hatred from within me; How dare she make Morgan's body appear so cruel? I hated her from the beginning.

Daichi, a man with my appearance, is her henchman. We share abilities but thankfully not personalities. He seems, to me, rather bi-polar. One moment he can be evil and insane like Hidori, and the next he is as uncaring as a cat.

Now, as we traveled, he was in that state. His eyes were closed half way and he stared into space without a care in the world. His gaze slacked and he would seem half asleep to people watching him. He walked with a slumped posture and hands in pockets. I could almost imagine him purring at Hidori as she lied to him.

Another of Hidori's many cruel talents was lying. Daichi believes her in an instant. Her tone is like silk to the senses. I believe she could fool anyone who didn't know 100% that she was evil.

Of course I knew she was lying about giving Morgan to me. I don't really want her anyway. I just want to know about us. Who was she to me? Why do I have her picture? Who is she? Who am I? I only want to meet her. So I accompany this wretched woman on her deeds and travels.

Daichi, however, hated my guts and I returned the feeling.

And so we arrived at the forest where I was told to watch a group of three people in a grove.

I stared down and spotted, at last, the girl from my picture.

She was shaking in fear of the storm, and the two men sat, uncaring, straight through it.

Lightning struck a tree, and Morgan bolted. I stood to follow, but Hidori held me back, "Not yet, dear…"

I glared at her but sat back down, watching until the two men stood and looked around.

I listened to their words and Hidori finally released me to find Morgan.

The shorter man had gone off in the right direction, so I followed him.

He arrived at a house and barged in without another word.

I sat in the trees to wait. Patience was key if Morgan were to be rescued.

~Morgan~

I couldn't sleep in this house. I constantly felt that someone was watching me. So I walked around the house, cleaning.

Itachi leaned on the wall with his eyes closed as he listened to me.

I shivered from time to time. The storm was not bothering me anymore, but I had that feeling again. A feeling of deep black… it felt almost as if I was wrapped in black ink as it tightened and squeezed me.

I choked on my air and shuddered for a moment.

I felt something over me. I opened my eyes and gaped at Itachi as he walked by me.

His cloak settled over my shoulders and he got himself a glass of water.

He didn't say anything, but I was grateful.

I sat down on the couch. Paige had gone to bed before me and I could hear the girls' soft breathing from the rooms down the hall.

Itachi returned to leaning on the wall, arms crossed.

I had to admit, his pose there looked awesome. The pose was better than any model in my world was capable of. His eyes were closed and a look of thought consumed his expression, though I knew he was listening to my every move and breath.

His cloak was warm. I blushed a little at how much any fangirl would have squealed to be wearing it.

I, on the other hand, slipped my arms into it and walked to his side.

"We will leave in the morning, right?"

He nodded without opening his eyes.

"Kisame is waiting?"

He nodded again and added, "Our rendezvous is at the clearing from before."

I nodded slightly and smiled at him. "The rain is letting up."

Itachi opened his eyes and I gazed at the black of them.

He normally wore the Sharingan there. He rarely let the natural color be seen in the presence of mine or the Akatsuki's presence.

His eyes moved to mine and he stated, "You should go to sleep. We have a long way to go."

My eyes focused briefly on his lips. I nodded in reply and stated, "Actually… I would like a breath of air now…"

I stepped out of the house and leaned on the wall. The feeling of ink was still wrapped around me, but another feeling accompanied it. My heart beat quickly and I breathed in deeply.

I opened my eyes and looked up between the trees to the cloudy sky.

I blinked and breathed in again. I muttered under my breath, "Good night everyone…"

And I walked back inside the house.

~Drew~

I stood with my back to the wall of the house as I listened in on the conversation inside.

"We will leave in the morning, right?" Morgan asked. Yes… I could tell that was her just by her voice.

The man I'd followed said nothing, but I assumed he had nodded. I frowned. Hidori had told me they had taken her against her will. If this was a lie, then she had chosen to remain with those murderers. If Hidori was telling the truth for once, I had the feeling Morgan wasn't in danger. The man she was with spoke to her with the tone of… well, good friends… like he trusted her.

"Our rendezvous is at the clearing from before," he stated.

I nodded to myself and make a note to be there. I had to ask her my questions…

He told her she should rest and she replied she needed a breath of air.

I dipped into the shadows of the wall out of her sight and peeked around to watch her.

She seemed to be breathing in the air and thinking.

I wondered if she was scared… She had seemed so before during the storm. No… her expression was one of thought rather than fear. So Hidori had lied. She was happy here. She smiled and I heard her voice.

"Good night everyone…"

My heart jumped. So Hidori was right? She was really here out of no choice?

I frowned. I had to tell Hidori about the rendezvous… I watched Morgan return inside and waited a few moments.

"Good night, Itachi…" Morgan stated from inside. I heard him reply, "You as well."

I heard the sound of a door opening and closing, and I prepared to run back and meet the others as a foot appeared in front of my hiding place.

I gaped as the man appeared in front of me. The cloak Morgan had worn was around his shoulders again.

Red eyes flickered at me and I felt immense fear well inside me.

A cold voice asked me, "Why are you here?"

I glared at him and stepped forward. "Do not take me lightly."

It was my fear speaking now. My heart was pounding around like mad as I gazed into his red eyes.

Itachi said, "You were watching Morgan."

It was a statement, not a question. "I was."

His eyes narrowed and his gaze turn to a glare. "Please leave before I have to force you."

I moved closer and my chakra blades extended from my hands.

"I will do as I must!"

He sidestepped me and ducked under the next attack.

I glared and shouted, "DIE!"

He stepped back and into the light, and his eyes flickered from red to black and back.

I attacked again and he seemed to dodge without thinking.

I swung again and again at him, and he moved as easily as a swaying tree.

He muttered, "You cannot beat me."

I roared as I lashed out with my claws.

Itachi crouched under them and asked, "What is it you want?"

Without really thinking I shouted, "I want Morgan back!"

He inhaled sharply, "Drew?!"

I roared, "OF COURSE!"

Itachi's eyes widened and his eyes flickered back from the red to black.

My blades pierced him straight through his stomach.

I smirked at his shocked expression as he coughed blood.

I let the blades fade and glared, "Just you wait!"

And I left him to die. What had shocked him so much to let his guard down like that?!

~Morgan~

Shouts were coming from outside. The doors were locked and the windows were barred from the outside in.

The girls were awake and crying as I burst through the front door and looked out.

Nothing but sheer horror consumed me, freezing my mind and body alike…

Itachi lay on the ground in a puddle of blood holding his stomach, black eyes looking at me with an emotion I couldn't recognize.

"ITACHI!"

.

-!-

 **New picture uploaded to Pinterest, 'Black Ice Chapter 45'**


	46. Chapter 46

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 46**

I've never been so shocked in all of my life. I wasn't THIS shocked when I was in that wreck and ended up in Naruto! I wasn't THIS shocked when I was accused of being Hidori and attacked by everyone! I wasn't THIS shocked ever!

I threw myself down on the ground beside him and shouted, "ITACHI!"

His eyes were blank and did not show any sign of pain. His emotionless face had turned still as stone as he hid his pain very well.

He sat up and stated, "I'm fine…"

"YOU ARE NOT!" I shouted.

He looked to me and stood.

I jerked up beside him. He straightened his back and I stared.

His form was perfect, just like a man raised to be the leader of his clan would.

I glared at thas. Because of his upbringing, Itachi was so cold to everyone, and refused help even when he needed it!

He swayed slightly but was clearly fighting.

I grabbed onto him and took most of his weight away.

Paige had told the girls to go back inside and we brought Itachi inside.

He grunted as we set him down.

Faythe was crying and I asked Paige to go to them for a moment.

"Take it off."

Itachi looked at me and asked in a tone that STILL hid his pain, "Take what off?"

I was losing my temper with his stubbornness, "Your shirt!"

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"I said to do it!"

"No!"

Paige walked in to see me sitting on Itachi's legs as I tried and get the clothes off to see the wound.

She had a look on her face like we were completely insane and she gawked at us.

Itachi stopped struggling as I saw the first sign of his pain.

He grunted as I pressed my fingers to his stomach.

Paige and I got his shirt off and she saw the wound.

Her eyes widened and she gasped, "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO YOU?!"

I looked at it. It just looked like three simple puncture wounds. That's all I saw…

She kind of just "moved" me to the side without my realizing it, and her hands were glowing blue.

I was pretty sure my eyes were REALLY wide.

Itachi closed his eyes and his jaw clenched together hard.

I asked, "Itachi? Paige?"

"What happened?" Paige demanded from Itachi.

Itachi looked to me and replied, "Attacked."

It was my turn to shout, "The fight couldn't have lasted more than five minutes! Who was it?!"

He didn't respond.

"You have the Sharingan! Who the heck was THAT strong to beat you so FAST?!"

Itachi shouted, "I was caught off guard!"

I stopped shouting in shock. Itachi… had screamed at me? He… had shouted at me?

I stood there with a blank look on my face.

I didn't get it. This… nothing like this had never happened before…

Paige was muttering to herself, "Chakra burns in the stomach… this might take some time…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Paige is wrapping the wound up with bandages out of thin air.

"The wound was made by a chakra blade of some sort. By the look of it it was almost, or possibly was, pure chakra. The blade burned his inner skin and caused it to kind of mold together in a burn, so I can't heal it all the way just yet… the burn has to be healed on its own, gradually…"

Itachi sat still until the bandages were done and he stated, "I am going outside to clean the blood."

I waited until the door shut and I looked to Paige.

She smiled sadly at me, "Maybe it was someone he knew?"

Shock rolled over me in waves, and not a little anger. I wanted answers, NOW.

I jerked to my feet and shot out the door, ramming straight into Itachi's back.

I fell on my butt and he turned around.

"I'm finished."

I sighed and asked, "Can't you say what happened?"

Itachi looked to me and I watched as his Sharingan eyes flickered unsurely. It reminded me of lights turning on and off in a building… or almost dead Christmas lights flickering before they die.

I asked, "What's going on?"

He eased himself down and leaned on a tree.

I did as well and he stated, "It… happens to every Uchiha."

I was confused beyond measure, "What does?"

(Author-chan: Please note I made this all up and it is not real. Yes, I am breaking my oath not to change the storyline too much. I don't care. This is MY idea. ^^ Thank you~!)

He continued with an explanation longer than I'd EVER heard him speak,

"Once every two years or so, for a period of two to three months… each Uchiha loses his Sharingan. It only lasts a few hours each time, but it goes on and off for those months. When it comes we used to rely on our allies to shield us, but without the rest of the clan I planned on relying on Kisame. Seeing as he wasn't here and my Sharingan faded for a moment… I lost it for just one moment."

I blinked, "Liar."

He looked to me and I smiled, "You aren't lying about the Sharingan. You are lying about why you lost the fight."

He watched me for any signs of my real emotions.

I smiled so sweetly and fakely it would make a bunny want to puke its little guts out.

"Who was it? You knew them, right?"

Itachi's eye twitched and he stated, "No."

I gave him an exasperated look and crossed my arms, and he replied, "I do not know him personally…"

I frowned and stood.

I paced around the tree and felt his eyes follow me as they flickered.

What was I supposed to do? Itachi was injured, his Sharingan were about to go out, and Kisame was off doing who knows what, who knows where? Bah him.

I sighed, "Then it's decided."

Itachi looked to me but said nothing.

"We're leaving."

He replied, "No."

I threw up my hands in frustration, "Why not?! You are hurt, and I don't think I can beat someone who beat you! We need to meet Kisame! End of story!"

Itachi glared at me, "No."

I sighed and smiled extra sweetly like before, "Why don't we get you inside then?"

He looked at me suspiciously as I followed him inside.

Paige brought him medicine.

I nodded to her and she returned it.

I took her aside and asked, 'Can you do me a favor?"

She nodded and I smiled humorlessly, "Knock him out cold."

She smirked, "You sure?"

I beamed, "For as long as you can."

We bumped fists and I watched her take out the new bandages.

Itachi seemed to argue with her before she sighed and gave him "pain medicine" and he drank it.

She nodded to me as she changed the cloth and I walked in.

Itachi was fighting to stay awake.

I smiled ever so sweetly to him as I sat in front of him.

His eyes were kind of just twitching as he tried to keep them open.

Go Paige! That medicine must have been WAY up there!

I sat in front of him and cooed, "Have a nice nap, Itachi-sensei! I am going now to find Kisame~! I will be back as soon as I find him~!"

His eyes widened, and he fought for his voice but it came out slurred.

I patted his head cruelly just to prove that I won the argument and turned my back to him.

~Itachi's thoughts~

What the heck is with this medicine?

I fought for control of the meds as Morgan sat in front of me.

She did NOT look like she was thinking nice thoughts.

"Have a nice nap, Itachi-sensei! I am going now to find Kisame~! I will be back as soon as I find him~!"

I tried to scream no. Drew flashed before my eyes. He had been after her! If he was here… then Hidori must be! Kakuzu and Hidan said that Drew had tried to kill Morgan before! Dammit!

I mentally thrashed in the medicine's wrath as her back disappeared out the door.

I screamed in my mind, "Dammit, Morgan! Damn… it…" before I passed out… hard.

~Hidori~

She laughed down at Morgan as she left the cottage-like thing, alone.

"It is finally time… I've waited a long time for this."

She smirked down at her as Morgan ran through the woods.

Hidori lifted her hands in a series of hand seals.

"Are you ready, Daichi, love?"

Daichi smiled and blushed, "Yeah…"

She smirked and laughed insanely as she finished the jutsu.

 _How do you like this? Even if we share the same powers, I know them better!_

The earth shook and her chakra spikes shot from the ground and consumed the forest. Trees were uprooted as caves of chakra spikes were formed. A maze was all that was left of 100 square miles of forest.

"Let's see you get out of this!"

The spikes rose into the sky, seeming to pierce even the moon. The tiny cottage, Morgan's only hope, was overshadowed by a cave.

There would be no escape. Itachi was trapped and Morgan… is doomed.


	47. Chapter 47

**Ho-lee-cow, it's been an entire week without any new chapters... and I left y'all on that _awful_ cliffhanger. I'm a terrible person, I'm so so sorry! But I had a nice final week with my family and friends before college starts in a few days, so I hope I can make up for it by uploading the three chapters you guys deserve. Hopefully, I'll be back on schedule with tomorrow's chapter (uploading on odd-numbered days, I think, right?), number 50. So... yep. I'll be quiet now.**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 47**

I screamed and dropped to the ground, arms clasped protectively around my head.

Bright blue spikes shot from the ground, consuming the land around me.

I rolled to the side as I sensed one coming at me through the ground.

I scrambled to my feet and jumped onto one of the remaining trees as the spikes grew high into the sky.

With a gasp, my tree was split in half by a spike. The half I was on now protruded like a branch from the spike that hid the other half.

Everything stopped suddenly, and I watched as the spikes transformed into solid rock.

I gaped at everything around me in shock.

What was going on?!

I stood shakily on the branch and walked over to the rock spike.

I placed a hand on it and screamed. It felt as if an electric shock had coursed through my entire body.

I stumbled to the side and fell from the tree to the spike-covered ground below.

I gasped and used my own chakra spikes to attack the rocks.

They burst into smithereens and I landed easily.

I heard a familiar voice laugh echo somewhere behind me.

I straightened my back and looked around.

The rocks around me turned shiny, and I found myself looking into a world of mirrors.

I looked down the passageway and saw a million of me looking back.

The laugh grew more shrill. I noted it was a boy's laugh… It literally sounded like he was shouting "Ha!" in his laugh.

"Who's there?! What's going on here?" I shouted.

My image in the mirror shifted and another face appeared in the panel.

"Drew…" I murmured in shock.

The person stopped laughing and smirked at me.

"Wrong~!" he said in a sing song voice I could now hear as clear as a bell.

He smirked and I saw his pointy canines.

"I don't see how you can get me and that brat confused! I mean, come on, girlie. We're as night and day as you and my Love!"

I was confused beyond help. "Huh?"

The boy looked at me seemingly from inside the mirror in front of me.

"My name is Daichi, girlie! Remember it well!"

His eyes closed halfway in an evil grin with bared teeth.

My eyes widened. I stated in a shocked tone, "You're the guy who attacked me on that mission!"

He seemed to think before purring. "Oh yes! We have met before~! Lovely."

The scene shifted as he seemed to LIE down.

He purred happily, "Hidori-chan is so nice to let me play with you first~!"

My jaw dropped, "H-Hidori?"

Daichi sat up to look at me, "Hidori is the most beautiful person in the whole world! But because you tried to steal her identity… you are gonna die~!"

My eyes narrowed, "Oh yeah?"

His eyes widened and his signature smirk covered his face.

"Alrighty then, girlie. Let's play a bit! Can you dodge something you can't see? Come on, girlie~!"

In the ground beneath my feet, the spikes began to grow.

I gasped and stepped back as something stepped out from it.

Daichi stood there in front of me and smiled. "Play with me~!"

He jumped forward so fast I couldn't see him.

I feet a punch to my chest and I flew back, hitting one of the huge spike-rocks surrounding us.

The electricity shot through me and I screamed.

Daichi appeared in front of me and, still in midair, swung his foot into me.

I was slammed back into the same spike.

I roared in pain and fell straight to the ground.

I managed to veer from being pierced by a spike below, and I rolled down it, being shocked all the way.

I hit a bare piece of ground and lay there, panting.

Daichi was standing over me again. He was so fast I couldn't even see him move.

He cooed, "So weak~! Hidori-chan, I don't see what you were so afraid of~!"

He moved forward and I shuffled backwards on my butt, trying to get even a little distance between us.

No good. His hand gripped my hair and he pressed my face into another electrifying spike.

I screamed bloody murder.

He laughed insanely and I collapsed again.

He was so fast… I couldn't even see him…

… Wait… I didn't need to see him!

I remembered back to the first group training I'd had with the Akatsuki… it was a hide and seek…

I remembered hitting Itachi and Pein with my attacks, marking them with my chakra. I could then see and sense everything they did!

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

"Are you dying already? You were no fun at all~!"

His fist came at my face and I shot my chakra out of every pore on my face into his hand.

He hissed in pain and jumped away.

"Why you little, brat!" he hissed.

I stood and breathed hard,I rubbing a scratch on my lower lip with my hand.

"Let's see you try that again…"

I was weak already, but I had a new hope! Maybe I could win!

~Elsewhere~

"Hidori, what is this?" Drew demanded as he neared the woman. "What are you doing to Morgan?!"

Hidori stared down at a mirror that showed Daichi and Morgan fighting.

"Oh dear… it seems she already realizes the tracking technique… ah well…"

Drew glared, "You never told me this would happen!"

Hidori smirked, "You can have her when we're done."

Drew roared, his chakra blades shot out of his hands as he charged towards Hidori.

A spike shot from the ground, encasing everything but his head and out stretched arms in a crystal like-clear solid.

Hidori tsked him. "Oh dear… you're beginning to grow annoying. Not to mention your usefulness has passed… Hm, what to do…"

"You used me!" Drew yelled, struggling in vain to free himself.

Hidori smiled at him with as much malice as a fox its prey.

"Of course. Not as if you could do anything about it, Drew-dearie. You were just a means to get to that girl."

"WHY?!" Drew demanded.

Hidori laughed, "She's stolen my beautiful face! I can be the one and only me! She has tried to become me, but alas… she cannot master my grace. So… I shall end her and become the one and only again!"

Drew gaped at her, "You used me to separate her from the others… why?!"

Hidori's mirror changed scenes.

Drew's eyes widened, "That's the guy I attacked… but why is he doing that?"

Hidori smirked and rubbed a finger over the reflection. "Any man would try and save a friend, yes? I wonder… "

Her eyes narrowed and she laughed. "But he will die soon as well. Poor thing… Never got to say goodbye… what a waste…"

Drew glared at her until his eyes clenched shut and hopelessness filled him.

Morgan and her friend were going to die… and it was entirely his fault…

~Itachi/Paige/Girls~

Paige watched in horror as the trees were crushed around the cottage and spikes welled up into the sky.

Faythe and Amber ran into her arms as they struggled to keep standing on the shaking ground.

As it stopped, Paige darted outside to see what was happening.

Stone welled up into the sky as high as her eyes could see.

Amber reached out a hand to touch one, but yelped and quickly pulled back her hand.

"It hurts!"

Paige gasped and covered her mouth, "Morgan!"

She darted back inside and gathered all her medical supplies.

"Sorry, Itachi, but this might hurt a bit!"

She gabbed a needle with an anti-drug into his arm.

He jerked up, immediately awake, and looked around in confusion.

"Morgan?! Wait, don't go! It's a trap!"

Paige shook his arm, getting his attention. "She left! She's gone! And now we're trapped here! What do we do?!"

Itachi rushed to the cabin door and looked out.

His eyes widened at the spikes.

He reached out to touch one and Amber shouted, "No! It hurts!"

Itachi felt it anyway and his eyes lowered into slits.

"This cannot be happening… Not now… Dammit!"

He stuck a foot out and tried to step on the spikes with chakra covered feet.

It burnt him.

He stepped back and held his stomach as he breathed hard.

The drug, along with his wound, were still affecting him.

He slid down to one knee and looked out at the valley-like maze of spikes.

He raised a hand in front of his eyes and cursed. His Sharingan had gone into their dormant stage; he was going to be Sharingan-less for, at the very least, six hours… but Morgan needed help NOW.

Itachi growled and looked back at the maze.

His hands flew into the hand signs and he shouted, "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The fire burst from him and he hoped, and prayed, that it was enough to break the spikes. He had to get to Morgan… and fast.


	48. Chapter 48

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 48**

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Itachi shouted as his fire engulfed the rock spike.

He dropped to one knee again and breathed hard…

"Please work…"

Fresh pain erupted in his head, worsening the headache as he saw the rock unscathed by the attack.

He leaned back, perfectly still.

Suddenly, he jumped up in a fury of angry power.

He pushed chakra into his fist and ran straight at the wall.

Itachi's fist pounded into the stone.

Lightning shot through his arm.

Another punch and a kick left him writhing in the pain with a fresh bruise from falling to the ground.

He stood shakily as he stepped away from the spike wall.

He slammed both fists into the ground in frustration before leaping back to Paige's side.

He breathed in hard as he watched the rock.

It seemed to shimmer a moment before a face appeared in the stone.

"Morgan?" Paige asked in confusion.

The image smirked at them and laughed, "You all fell for it! Ha! You all fell for my trap! Oh yes… trust in me… I'm so kind and pure and innocent!"

Itachi glanced to Paige and saw her shiver in shock.

Itachi lifted a hand in front of her. "That is **not** Morgan."

Hidori made a rude sound in her throat and stated, "So you know her well enough? Hmph… Well then, you can tell me… Who is more beautiful?"

Paige peered around Itachi to see Hidori more clearly. "What is she talking about? Who is she? I don't understand!"

Itachi glared at Hidori and muttered behind him to Paige, "This woman is known as Hidori. She is Morgan's complete opposite and look a like."

"What does she want then?" Paige demanded.

Hidori smiled, "I want her dead, It is as simple as that! And oh look… it seems I will get my way!"

The mirror changed views and showed Morgan being kicked by Daichi into a spike. Morgan screamed in pain as the electricity shocked her and she fell to the ground in a crumpled, shuddering heap.

Itachi clenched his teeth together, and chakra laced through his tight fists.

Paige looked at him in horror. "What are you doing, Itachi?! That much chakra you are using will burn you!"

Itachi ignored her, running at the wall with a furious expression.

He shoved chakra from his feet as hard as he could and attacked the wall with all his strength.

The attack crashed into Hidori's reflection, shattering it into a million pieces.

Itachi shoved back against a falling spike and landed on his back amongst the electric spikes.

Paige pulled him out and helped him back to the safe zone.

Itachi looked to the wall and smiled a little half conscious smile and murmured, "Almost… there…"

He passed out from the wounds and Paige leaned him against the wall of the house.

Faythe and Amber looked at her with pleading eyes.

"What are you going to do about Morgan?"

Paige looked at the girls and then to the hurt man on the ground.

She remembered how Morgan had been attacked in the mirror.

She looked to the girls with a new determination in her eyes. "I am going after her. Please stay here with Itachi. Do not leave this house!"

They nodded and stood on either side of Itachi.

Paige nodded and jumped from safe spot to safe spot, ninja style.

~Morgan~

I could dodge him now. His speed was suddenly manageable with my trackers imbedded in his hand.

I could predict everything he was about to do by his movements.

He still moved quickly, but as long as I could see him, I could dodge him.

We both slid to a stop on the tree limb sticking out from the spikes.

Daichi smirked, "You're good all of a sudden~!"

His eyes were suddenly more serious. "You're not that bad in dodging," he laughed slightly as we faced each other, "So let's see how you fare in strength!"

He sent chakra to his feet and lunged at me.

I managed to lean ever so slightly to the side but WAIT! He was suddenly in my face again.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

His knee shoved into my stomach.

I gagged and dropped back to the wood of the tree.

Daichi smirked and kicked me hard. "Get up, kid. Get up and PLAY!"

He smirked and laughed at me in his insane shrieky way.

I jerked from under his foot and rolled off of the tree… right towards the spikes below.

I cursed before shooting my own spikes into the ground and stepping on it.

With that, I looked back up to where Daichi was-

He wasn't there anymore.

I spun around, sensing him and felt his arms around my shoulders. "Oops? Lost sight of the target? How silly of you~!"

He threw me into a grove of spikes.

I screamed in agony as he seemed to simply drift over a spike and land normally.

"Don't you have any strength at all? You can see me, right? Well then… fight me!"

I didn't know what to do… Even with my tracker now, he had somehow gotten faster! He was strong. too! What could I do?!

I remembered the time when Itachi had attacked in the game… Yeah, maybe that could work!

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

I smirked.

Daichi ran at me and I laughed.

He frowned and punched at me.

I didn't even try to dodge.

Like a thorn bush, my chakra spiked out and spread around me like a shield.

Daichi hissed at it, and powered chakra into his fist.

I was ready for him.

As he blasted through my shield of thorns, I nailed him with a bright blue chakra spike straight through his left leg.

That should slow him down!

He frowned at it and then glared at me.

"So this is all you have? Aim for my leg? Loser."

He was pinned to Hidori's spikes through his shin by my spike.

Three claws formed from his hand and he smirked at my wide-eyed expression.

I screamed in terror as his blades sliced through his own knee and ripped his leg straight off.

"HAHAHAHAHA! JUST A SCRATCH! YOU SEE! DON'T YOU SEE MY POWER! YOU CANNOT BEAT ME! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

I gaped at him in absolute horror. This man couldn't be human… He was a demon! He had to be a demon!

He charged at me with one leg.

My thorns clashed together and he powers through with his claws.

His crazy eyes glowed with insanity.

I pinned his right arm to the wall behind him as I had done his leg earlier.

I was frightened beyond all recognition as he laughed maniacally again.

"IS THIS ALL YOU CAN DO? AHAHAHAHAHAHA~!

I watched in disbelief as he slashed through his shoulder to escape my spike.

I screamed as he came at me again, shock making my chakra control too flimsy to form my thorns.

I held my arms in front of me in defense.

I heard a scream of agony and looked up.

My eyes widened in shock.

My chakra had acted on its own again… It had made a wall in front of me using chakra spikes all woven together into a spike-covered, razor-sharp shield.

His left and final arm was simply smashed into nothing.

My eyes shook in revulsion and I felt like puking.

I watched him take a hop back and fall on his butt next to Hidori's spikes.

He was a horrible sight… One leg, that was it.

I was sure he was dead as I took a step back and began to breathe. I turned my back to him and began to walk away.

"Eheheh…"

I stop in my tracks, horror making my eyes widen and face pale.

"Ahahaha…"

I turned my head slightly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

My eyes were wide as plates.

Daichi looked at me with completely red eyes that glowed with evil.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WATCH ME NOW! WATCH ME KILL YOU! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I choked on my breath as chakra swirled around him.

He smirked as he STOOD UP.

The chakra had reformed his left leg.

I wanted to scream… It was the horror movie I couldn't escape!

I could barely keep standing as sheer fear ripped through me.

The chakra swirled and formed his two arms.

It spreads up and consumed his entire body.

I could only watch as the chakra materialized more parts.

Cats ears protruded from Daichi's head, along with a long cat tail and claws on both hands and feet as long as knives.

He looked to me and smirked, showing off fangs.

He laughed quietly at first… and it grew steadily and ever so slowly… into a deafening roar.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! JUST YOU WAIT! I AM GOING TO RIP YOU TO THOUSANDS OF PIECES! JUST WATCH ME!"

~Paige~

I breathed hard as I landed again in a tiny area where I was safe from the spikes.

I'd gotten a little out of shape by just raising the girls.

With a shot of chakra I took off again into the maze.

Morgan had only been gone long enough to get so far… and the area the mirror had shown was large. There had to be some way to help know how to get around… a pattern, maybe?

I landed again and thought hard. "This area I've been traveling… its shape is familiar…"

The rocks around me changed color and reverted to mirrors.

Hidori's face appeared, "You just will not give up, will you? Let's see you concentrate on finding your friend though this!"

Suddenly the spikes were moving and shooting at me!

I gasped and dodged.

My foot accidentally stepped on a patch of rock-spike and was given a painful shock.

I screamed in pain and frustration. I had to make sure I only stepped on the safe spots! I had to be sure!

No, wait! I had to figure out this maze, too!

I barely dodged a spike.

No! I had to dodge! No! I have to do them all! MORGAN!

~Hidori~

Tsk… What meddling pests… ah well, die if you so wish it! I have no ideals in leaving the innocent. But this is taking rather long. I wonder how long it will take before Morgan finally gives up?


	49. Chapter 49

**Okay, for those of you who didn't get the memo about the three-chapter upload... I'm really sorry I missed a week's worth of chapters. I'll try not to let it happen again (cross your fingers :) ). Go back if you haven't read chapters 47 and 48 yet!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 49**

~Itachi, Faythe, and Amber~

Itachi's eyes flickered open and he groaned.

Amber's face appeared in his view and she cooed, "Mr. Itachi is awake now~!"

Itachi groaned and rubbed the back of his neck before flinching and looking at his burned hands.

Faythe stood there, blushing.

"You hafta go after Morgan and Paige, so we're gonna make you all better!"

Itachi's eyebrow rose as he stood.

Faythe frowned and pulled him back down to his knees.

Amber held her breath and tugged on the bloody wrap around his chest.

Faythe looked at the ground in embarrassment, "Arms up!"

Itachi sighed and just shrugged out of it.

The two girls looked pleased as he wrapped his chest himself.

They looked at his hands and almost seemed to beg.

He sighed in aggravation but gave them his hands.

They applied ointment and wrapped them up tight.

Itachi stood and the girls followed.

Itachi turned back and smiled as best he could, "You have to stay HERE."

They backed up and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

Itachi turned and leapt through the hole in the wall and into the maze. Morgan was in trouble… and now Paige was in this mess as well…

"Dammit…"

~Morgan~

"AGH!" I screamed in agony as I was thrown against Hidori's spike.

He was even FASTER now! Even with my trackers I wasn't fast enough to stop him.

I landed on one of my spikes and tried the thorn attack again.

Daichi swooped down and I gasped.

He hit my thorns and I attacked… but he PUNCHED THROUGH my spike!

Before I could even register what had happened… I was embedded in the side (thankfully not on the point) of a spikes on the other side of the field.

I screamed and tried desperately to free myself.

NO! The spikes were growing around me! They would encase me alive!

I struggled and Daichi landed on the rock beside me.

"Heheheh… stuck? Well I don't see why I should give you any mercy… but I will, just this once."

His eyes were wider than humanly possible as he laughed insanely. His mouth was open and gaping as his fangs dripped what looks like blood.

"LET'S KILL YOU OFF FAST! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His foot landed in my stomach and I was shoved further into the rock-spike.

I screamed. The spikes shoving me in were now pressing back.

The lightning shot through my entire being.

"I WON'T DIE! I CAN'T DIE!"

He pressed on and his chakra consumes me.

I was crushed further back into the rock and the lightning scorches my skin.

He laughed, "HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS, EH? TELL ME! TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU FEAR ME! TELL ME HOW SCARED YOU ARE! GROVEL AT MY FEET! BEG ME TO LET YOU LIVE! BEG ME! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Pain… it was my only thought for an entire minute of my life.

It was a minute I wished more than anything I could give back. it was more painful than a lifetime of the usual pain.

I wanted to die, I really did…

Daichi noticed me go motionless and shouted, "SO? ARE YOU READY TO DIE? ARE YOU READY TO DIE? FINE! I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL TAKE YOU AWAY FROM THIS WORLD AND INTO THE NEXT! I WILL ESCORT YOU ALL THE WAY!"

My mind felt like it was fizzing out, and I roared in desperation, "ITACHI!"

Something jumped towards Daichi.

I had to be hallucinating…

Daichi was thrown from view and I heard him slam into the spikes.

I was pulled from the wall and lowered to the ground? Eh?

My vision was a little fuzzy from the pain.

I rolled over onto my back and tried to sit up.

I lifted a shaking hand and rubbed my eyes.

I had to be hallucinating… I had to be.

"Itachi?" I muttered in shock. He glanced at me from the corners of his eyes, and he nodded sharply, "Are you okay?" I nodded, my throat too constricted to speak.

Daichi stood and rubbed a new scratch on his cheek. "So you got out?" he chuckled.

"How did you get here?" I demanded, but Itachi didn't respond.

Daichi chuckled as he straightened his back, "My oh my, you look hurt to me, Uchiha."

I looked over, finally getting a good look as my vision cleared, and I gaped at him. His cloak was missing, and there were burn marks and tears on his shirt. The bandages on his stomach were already bled through. Wraps on his hands were burnt through and blood dripped from his fists. His chest heaved as he breathed hard.

He looked to me, asking again, "Are you okay?"

I tried to stand, but fell. He looked back to Daichi with a cold glare.

"Why are your hands like this? What happened?" I demanded, frightened by his awful condition.

Daichi laughed cruelly, "You tried so hard to find her! To give up this much of your body is quite the devotion."

Daichi moved closer and his chakra blades lengthened.

Itachi crouched into a protective stance in front of me.

He glared and stated, "You will not get through me."

Daichi's eyes slimmed and he chuckled, "What can a Sharingan-less Uchiha do to me?"

Itachi's eyes widened, "You timed this."

Daichi smirked. "Do you see it now? Do you see what you caused? Look at her! Look at her and know! SHE'S HURT BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU ARE TOO WEAK TO PROTECT HER! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

He looked back to me in… fear? Guilt? "Morgan…?" He seemed to beg me to stand with his eyes.

I tried hard, but my legs collapsed back to the ground under me.

His eyes squeezed shut. Anger swam over his face and his black eyes snapped open.

He roared in anger and darted at Daichi.

Daichi smirked and deliberately closed his eyes in cocky self-assurance.

He easily sidestepped Itachi's fists, and his chakra blades slashed through one of the bandages on his chest. It slipped away, falling under their feet as they fought.

My eyes widened as I tried again to stand to help.

The lightning still tingled in my legs.

I cursed and shouted, "Hang on, Itachi!"

I watched as he stepped on a spike patch, his body shuddering from the electricity, and an idea came to me.

"Itachi, step on this!"

I used my chakra to shoot up safe spikes from the ground under him.

He stepped on it and realized it was mine.

He nodded and smirked to me as he attacked again.

I shot up spikes here and there in random places or where Itachi seemed to need a foothold.

Itachi's foot glanced but didn't completely collide with Daichi's chest.

Daichi laughed, "Oh, I am so scared of the lovesick Uchiha!"

He suddenly stopped and looked at me, aiming his next attack at me, and Itachi landed in front of me just a second before Daichi was there.

He was still too fast for me to see, and I heard a grunt of pain.

I saw Daichi's face over Itachi's shoulder. His wild smirk told me he did not make the sound.

Blood dripped down Itachi's back.

He took a step back and closer to me.

Daichi swung a foot up and I heard Itachi's gasp for air.

My fists clenched in frustration and desperation, "Stay away from Itachi!"

He pulled back and struck again and again.

Itachi fell backwards and just in front of me.

Daichi jumped away and watched.

"Itachi!" I screamed.

I crawled quickly to him. He was literally riddled with wounds all through his chest.

He coughed and sounded hoarse, "I will not die yet…"

I remembered his vow about Sasuke. He had to die only by his brother's hand… Instead he laid before me, nothing but bleeding wounds and tired eyes.

I screamed in anger and frustration into the sky.

And for the first time in a long while I lost all control over myself.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! I SAID TO DIE!" I screamed at Daichi's widening eyes.

I laugh insanely as he had before, slowly standing and summoning chakra to my hands. "DIE AT MY HANDS!"

~Paige~

I screamed as one of the blades sliced open my shoulder.

I couldn't escape this maze! There were so many spikes! They were so fast and accurate, I couldn't dodge and find my way out at the same time!"

I slipped back onto my butt as I lost my balance.

Five spikes immediately shot at me and I screamed.

My arms lifted on instinct to cover my face.

I didn't feel anything… why didn't I feel pain? Was I dead?

My eyes snapped open and I look up in awe and confusion.

A man stood with his back to me as the remains of the spikes fell in sparkling shards.

I gawked up at his sword as it seemed to consume the shimmers of rock.

He turned his head to me and smirked.

I saw his sharp and pointy teeth. And he's BLUE. "Wh-Who are you?!" I stuttered in confusion.

His smirk widened and he stated, "Name's Kisame."

I just stared up at him as his blade destroyed another spike, cutting through it like a knife through butter.

"Hey, Miss, you wouldn't happen to have seen my two friends anywhere, would you? There's a chick and an emo guy?"

I felt relief pass through me, "Morgan and Itachi?"

He smiled and nodded, "That would be them."

I managed to stand and reply, "They are in trouble."

Kisame chuckled, "I kind of figured that. Morgan just attracts trouble, and Itachi always has to get her out of it! Don't worry, they always come out perfectly fine."

I shook my head grimly, "Their opponent is Hidori."

He dropped his blade in shock.

"This… cannot get any worse."

 _Oh yes it can…_


	50. Chapter 50

Something to keep in mind as you read: This is FAR from the end. This is the Itachi-Sharingan Saga. Next is the Hidan-Kakuzu saga. After that is the 'Un-wanted' saga. Thank you and … HERE WE GO!

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 50**

I felt the chakra in my system rise as I lost all control.

My insane laughter immediately stopped as I looked down at Itachi, dropping to my knees and screaming his name in panic.

Chakra spikes larger than skyscrapers shot up from the ground around Itachi and me.

I screamed in horror and lashed out randomly with them. My eyes were wide and crazed. I couldn't think straight. Was Itachi dead? What was happening to me?

Daichi dodged the spikes easily, though they were pretty large and slower than my other spikes.

"AHAHAHAHA! NICE TRY, KID! BUT YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME!"

I wanted to be able to check on Itachi. I wanted to see if he was alright… but as long as this guy was before me… I could not stop.

My eyes narrowed.

Daichi looked at me with his unfeeling eyes and smirked.

 _Why not go a little crazy? It was all his fault anyway!_

My mind was clear now, but my chakra was acting on its own. The spikes shot up in every direction and aimed for Daichi.

With one claw he slashed a spike in half. With another he pushed one away and into a second spike, crushing them as they collided.

He jumped off of one and came straight at me.

My eyes were wide and icy colored. My expression was frozen. My mouth was open but no sound came out. My mind was the only part of me roaring.

Daichi was a millimeter from my face.

Before he screamed.

He jerked back, holding his hand. A rock-like pattern was imprinted on his hand.

He glared at it and hissed at me.

I couldn't even concentrate on it.

My spikes had attacked from my face and stuck into him. They were now spreading like thorns from where they were imbedded.

His hissed as pain erupted through his arm. His hand began to bleed.

He screamed and slashed his own arm off once more with his other.

The arm faded to dust and Daichi roared.

I sat there on my knees and watched.

He glared at me and smirked.

"So that's how you want to play, eh?"

His eyes were wide, his fangs bared.

"If I can't touch you, I just have to pick another target!"

He moved to attack Itachi.

My eyes widened further, and before I even knew I was reacting, I was standing in front of Daichi.

I lifted a hand in front of me. "Do not come any closer."

Spikes shot up in a wall in front of me.

Daichi hissed and moved back.

We both stopped in shock as we were interrupted.

The rock around us shimmered and Hidori's face appeared in the rock. "How nice… it seems you might pose a challenge to me anyway… Daichi, return."

I stared at her face. She did look like me. She looked like the girl in my dream. She looked like the girl who threatened to kill everyone close to me. I wanted to move closer to her…

She looked to me and smirked, "Good luck!", her tongue clicking on the end of 'luck'.

~Kisame and Paige~

Kisame growled in frustration, "WHY ARE WE GOING BACK?!"

Paige shouted back over the roar of attacking spikes, "WE HAVE TO START FROM THE BEGINNING TO FIND THEM QUICKLY!"

Kisame nodded resignedly and lifted Samehada to slice another spike in half.

The spike suddenly stopped and dematerialized into the air.

Kisame and Paige moved so their backs were pressed together.

A sick laugh echoed around them, and a face appeared in a spike.

Hidori smirked at them.

"So the intruder found his way to the mouse… How annoying. I should kill you right now, but I won't. You see, I have something you might be a little MORE interested in."

Paige looked confused and Kisame glared at Hidori.

The scene in the mirror shifted, showing four people.

Two young men, who looked almost exactly alike, stood next to each other in the mirror. One held two small figures in his grip.

Faythe and Amber screamed as their captor yanked on the ropes binding them.

Paige screamed their names in shock.

The man who wasn't holding the girls looked ashamed.

Hidori's face returned in the mirror, "Now, of course, I only want one thing in return for their lives~!"

Paige looked desperate.

Hidori cooed, "I want you to leave Morgan and her little friend with me~!"

Paige shouted, "NO!"

Kisame looked at her in grim curiosity. "Who are those two girls to you?"

She dropped to her knees, tears forming in her eyes, "My only family left!"

Kisame nodded and replied to the mirror, "We accept."

Paige looked up in shock.

Kisame looked at her and muttered, "If Morgan and Itachi can't handle themselves, no one can. And I'm pretty sure Itachi knows what he's doing."

Paige asked, "He really loves her, doesn't he?"

Kisame thought for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure. They are sensei-kohai, but I've seen them treat each other much different before."

Paige asked, "Itachi is Morgan's sensei?"

Kisame nodded.

Paige frowned, "Then why was he beaten so easily?"

Kisame looked shocked.

Paige looked utterly torn as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"Itachi was attacked last night. When he was attacked he was beaten in under five minutes… and received a horrible wound on his stomach that made him pass out from pain. I couldn't heal it. If Itachi was supposed to be Morgan's sensei… and he was beaten… how could he save her?"

Kisame looked down. "We will leave it to them."

Paige nodded and shouted up to Hidori, "Where are you keeping them?!"

Hidori smirked, "Your cabin."

The two nodded and jumped away.

~Itachi and Morgan~

My chakra engulfed Itachi in an attempt to heal him.

I breathed in heavily as it flowed into him.

Most of the wounds sealed right before my eyes, and I could only wait.

That was all I could do right now… wait.

With nothing else to do, my mind was free to traverse my memories. Itachi had protected me before. He had trained me hard, but he was always there. It reminded me of the memories Sasuke showed of Itachi in his TV time…

I smiled slightly and wiped a tear from my eye.

"Come on, Itachi! Wake up!"

His eyes flickered open and he sat up abruptly.

He looked around, "Where is he?"

His tone was calm and collected, but his eyes were already alert.

I gestured towards a spike, "Daichi went back to Hidori."

Itachi looked down to his stomach and groaned.

I frowned, "I healed most of them, but the newest ones were really deep…"

He nodded and demanded, "Why did he leave? Where did he go?"

I frowned, "Hidori called him back…"

Itachi made a rude noise in the back of his throat and regained composure.

"I see… She isn't done yet."

I looked confused and he replied, "Think about it. If someone trapped their prey in a maze like this, why would they call back their winning fighter?"

I decided not to tell him I had been about to win.

I helped him stand and he stated, "We should head back to the cottage…"

I nodded just as the mirror reflected again, and Hidori appeared.

"So you are awake! Wonderful! I was just talking to your attacker about you! He seemed rather shocked you were alive."

Itachi looked shocked as he glanced from me to Hidori.

Hidori's eyes widened, "So she doesn't know? How sad…"

A smirk appeared on her face, "Drew is here with me~! Do you hear that Morgan? He is on my side! I told you I'd steal everyone close to you!"

I was shocked. It just kept rolling over in my mind… but I couldn't grasp it.

"Drew… is with you?"

Itachi looked away.

I turned to him. "Drew… attacked you?"

He didn't say anything… but his hand moved to the wound on his stomach.

My fists shook in anger.

Hidori smirked, "Would you like to see for yourself? Can you really believe a man you've only known a few months? What if he is lying?"

I glared at her and then looked to Itachi.

"You're just joking, right? Drew would never do this."

Itachi looked to me with a serious look in his black eyes, "It was Drew. He admitted to being him."

"Could it have been Daichi? In disguise maybe?" I demanded.

Itachi reluctantly shook his head, , "Their chakras are different."

I dropped to my knees.

Drew wasn't dead. Drew was alive… and with Hidori…

I couldn't believe this… no! I wouldn't believe this!

I stood and glared at Itachi, "YOU LIAR!"

He returned my glare, probably offended.

I continued, "DREW WOULD NEVER DO THAT! I WILL PROVE IT! I WILL PROVE IT EVEN IF I DIE!"

His glare intensified, "You want to die so badly as to not believe your partner?"

I returned it as best I could, but he was winning.

"WHY DO YOU CARE? BECAUSE I SURE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU!"

I turned to Hidori, "WHERE IS HE?!"

She smirked and stated, "We are all in the center of the maze. Come to me…"

The spiked opened up and created a path.

I looked to Itachi. The sight shocked me. His head was hanging down and his fists were clenched.

"… Itachi?"

He shot a glare up at me, "Then go! I don't care if you die or not! Just go!"

"Why won't you come with me?!"

He smirked and replied, "Because I sure don't care about you."

I glared at him and turned on my heel, marching down the path Hidori had made.

~Itachi~

I watched as the arch closed up. I glared at it and then to Hidori.

She smirked, "She's as good as doomed. Are you sure you don't care?"

I looked away from her and began to walk away from Morgan and towards the exit.

"… I don't care."

~Paige and Kisame~

Kisame sighed as the cottage came into view, "This is most likely a trap."

Paige nodded, and the two stepped into the cottage's view.

Hidori was there, leaning on the wall. Her smirk was wide, and her partner held the two girls by a rope.

The other boy looked to them in complete loss.

Hidori smirked, "So you walk in even though you know it was a trap? Interesting."

Kisame gripped Samehada more tightly.

She began to walk away but stopped. Lifting a hand, Faythe and Amber were frozen from head to toe in a chakra spike.

Paige screamed and reached towards them.

Hidori stepped into a spike, smirking. "They have three minutes before they die. Can you beat both of my subordinates by then?"

As soon as she was gone, the boy with the dismayed look on his face shouted to the other, "This was not what I was promised! I was told the girls would not be harmed!"

The other smirked. "If you don't do as you are told, they ALL die. Morgan and her friends- all of them are as good as dead. Do you want that? What are two of them to all of them, hm?"

Drew looked angry, "That is not fair! I don't even know about Morgan yet!"

Daichi rolled his eyes, "You aren't entirely sure, though. Why not just spare her? She is the only one who knows you. The others are meaningless to you. Fight them. Kill them."

Drew looked angry and torn.

Paige looked to the girls and started running towards them, "Faythe! Amber!"

Drew took a step in front of her and his chakra blades appeared in front of her nose.

"I am so sorry!"

And he attacked.


	51. Chapter 51

**Okay, so much for plan 'I'm going to update on time!'. I'm really sorry :( This next week will be my first week of college, and I'm terrified. I might not update on time, but I'll make it up by getting any chapters owed by that day posted. Tomorrow will be the big day, so gimme a week to figure things out, and things will (hopefully) be normal again. Thanks so much, I really appreciate anyone who reads Black Ice, even with my sucky punctuality.**

 **Special shoutout to PurpleRawan for the nice review. It made me get my stuff together and make a plan for updates around college stuff. Also, HUGE thanks to BizzyLizy, for reviewing almost every chapter, and for making me feel useful. You guys, and all readers, really make my day :)**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 51**

I remembered a thousand things as I walked alone. I remembered my old life with Drew and my family. The memories of my new family with the Akatsuki shine beyond those. The newest ones were so brilliant in my mind I found them the most consuming factor in me. Itachi stood out in those memories - his smirks and chuckles at my absolute stupidity during our training sessions, the way he changed his tone between me and Kisame… like talking to an old friend and a new one.

I remembered our first training session and how we hadn't really gotten along all that well. Like magnets working against one another, we had acted.

Memories of Drew and me walking in school together stuck out. Life there in the 'real' world seemed so dull compared to here. Here, life was complicated and unpredictable… Just as it was right this very moment.

I knew more than anyone that this was most definitely a trap. But even the smallest chance that Drew was alive was enough to cause me to endanger myself.

I had made Itachi mad… but there was no way Drew would attack Itachi… not the Drew I knew, anyway…

I lifted my head. I'd been walking for twenty minutes at the most.

I looked around. The spike-rock cave I was in are a lot smaller than before… almost just a hallway.

An arch opened in front of me, and I walked through without hesitation.

It closed behind me, and I began to feel the loneliness like a fog around me. I wished for someone with me.

I frowned and glared in determination as I stopped in the final room.

No one was there.

I glanced around and took in the view. In fact… this was the same place I had run from during the storm… our old meeting place…

My eyes drifted to the lone tree in the center. I looked at it and frowned.

Images of the lightning flashed in my mind. Thunder echoed in my memory. Why was I here? Why would they be here?

I realized the answer almost immediately… They had been following us from the start.

I closed my eyes and asked out loud, "Where are you?"

Hidori stepped from the farthest spike and we looked at each other.

Her eyes and mine met. We moved forward at the same instant and met in the middle at the center of the room.

We lifted our hands and measured. We were the same height. We had the same waist size. Even our chests resembled size.

Hidori smiled, "It's like looking in a mirror."

I frowned and looked behind her, "Where is Drew?"

Hidori's smile was replaced with a smirk. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

The rock closest to us transformed into a mirror and I watched in absolute horror.

Drew was attacking Paige and Kisame… Faythe and Amber were trapped in a crystal spike.

My fingers twitched as I watched it all unfold.

 _Paige ducked back under Drew's blades, and punched him in the stomach._

 _Drew hopped back at the right second and minimized the damage._

 _Paige and Drew both flipped backwards and landed by their partners._

 _Kisame stepped forward with Samehada and smirked, "So you are the guy after Morgan, hm? You look strong enough… bring it."_

 _Daichi leaped forward and Kisame caught Daichi's chakra blades with his sword._

 _Daichi smirked like he had won… just as Samehada ate the chakra._

 _The boy jumped back from Kisame and Paige looked to him. Kisame glanced at her as he landed next to her._

" _Go for the girls! I have these two!"_

 _Paige nodded and rushed to the girls' aide._

 _Kisame ran beside her and deflected attacks from both Drew and Daichi._

 _They had met their match with Kisame. Just as water put out fire… his blade ate their chakra._

 _Kisame smirked as Paige reached the stone and placed her hand on it._

" _NOW WHAT?!"_

 _Kisame looked momentarily confused as well, "Um…"_

 _Paige smacked her head to the rock and Kisame laughed slightly before sighing, "I'll get them… hold on a sec…"_

 _Kisame was stopped in his tracks by the two boys._

 _Drew had a look on his face like a man who dreaded his very existence, shoulders hunched into himself._

 _Daichi, however, smirked vibrantly, and the two jumped in unison towards Kisame._

 _Both began to glow with chakra as they changed their appearances. Daichi grew long ears and a tail, while Drew grew something a little different._

 _His ears were shorter and his tail was fluffy like a fox's._

 _Kisame swung his blade at them and Drew stopped it with his hand._

" _Sorry… but I have to see Morgan. End of story."_

 _Kisame was thrown back in shock. Their new chakra could not be eaten by Samehada; it had materialized and hardened in a way that the sword could not absorb._

 _Kisame's expression turned hard._

 _Daichi smirked cruelly, "Two minutes until they die. And counting."_

 _Paige screamed in anguish._

~Itachi~

"Dammit." I cursed under my breath.

Morgan had left without thinking. There was no way she had any idea what people like that were capable of. She was just too innocent, too naive.

Not to mention she wasn't all that great of a fighter. She had reactions that came naturally, but everything from her balance to her attacks needed major help.

I frowned and forced myself to think more on how to get out than to help her. She didn't WANT my help.

I growled again and shook my head to banish my mutinous thoughts. No more Morgan. Morgan didn't want anyone's help.

Dammit… focus!

Some time had passed before I finally found where I wanted to go.

I leaned on the broken spike wall in front of the cabin.

"Drew will be there waiting for her… All three of them will attack her. She thinks people can change… she will be killed. That Drew will deceive her. The stupid desperate fool!"

I growled and turned the corner to see a surprising sight.

Kisame fought back against Drew and Daichi's attacks. Paige screamed next to a spike.

I gaped. Drew was here, but that wasn't what really got me… It was the fact that he was shouting at Daichi.

"I've had enough! You promised to let me talk to Morgan! Take me to her! I will not fight these people anymore! If Morgan went with them, it was of her own free will! She was not KIDNAPPED of all things!"

I froze. Wait… how HAD Morgan ended up with the Akatsuki.

Oh… that's right. I had… brought her…

Shock rolled over me. Morgan would not have HAD to join if I hadn't brought her. I had taken her. I remembered her scared face when she woke up, and her face of some time later when she knew us all so much better. She… she might have been acting.

I had kidnapped Morgan against her will. She was forced to be in the Akatsuki. She had finally gotten a chance to get away… and she had taken it.

Daichi attacked Kisame again. My body still wouldn't respond as my mind whirled.

Morgan had always demanded to know why everyone tried to save her. She thought… she thought we hated her. That was it. She thinks we hate her. She thinks I… hate her…

I attacked Daichi now while his back it turned.

~Morgan and Hidori~

The mirror closed just as Drew begins to speak to Daichi.

I drop to my knees. "He really is with you…But why? Why would he come with you?"

The girl in front of me smiled slightly, "Who would follow you? You thought he was dead, correct? Well, I went and found him… He owes me EVERYTHING."

My hands gripped the grass tightly, "Why…? Why do you hate me? Is it just because we look alike?"

Hidori closed her eyes and smirked. Her foot collided with my side and I was thrown back.

She laughed,"Of course not, you fool! Why would I hate someone for that? WHY?!"

Her next kick hit me into a spike, and electricity coursed through me.

I fell to the ground and she placed a foot on my chest.

"I hate you for a completely different reason. I hate you because you have it so EASY."

My surprise was clear on my face, and she laughed. Her foot smashed into my stomach as she ground her heel onto me.

"I worked my whole life to perfect the chakra spike jutsu! MY WHOLE LIFE! And then you show up! You show up and guess what? YOU CAN DO IT ALL WITHOUT THINKING!"

I was kicked into a tree, trying to hold myself up as I slid to the ground.

"HOW IS IT FAIR?" She laughed hysterically, delivering another kick.

"TELL ME NOW!"

I took it again and again… this was all my fault. Drew was with her, I have driven Itachi away… and I was alone.

"I WANT YOU TO DIE! I WANT YOU TO LEAVE! I WANT TO BE THE BEST! I WILL BE BETTER THAN YOU CAN!"

I was hit again and again and again.

I wanted to die. What was the point in living? Drew was on her side from the beginning, my best friend hated me, Kisame must've thought I'd abandoned him, Paige didn't need me, I couldn't go home… what was there left to do?

She kicked me again and again. I simply waited to die. Kill me now. It feels almost… good… to have someone who looks just like me finish me off. It feels… like I'm killing myself. Ahahaha… maybe I am the one going insane here at the very end.


	52. Chapter 52

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 52**

~Itachi/Kisame/Paige~

Paige was more than shocked when Itachi attacked.

Her eyes darted from him to Kisame.

He reacted, though he was in shock, and jumped to her side.

Drew looked confused. Who was he supposed to side with?

He shoved Daichi away from Itachi.

Daichi attacked Kisame, and Itachi switched to Drew.

Drew defended himself, demanding, "Where is Morgan?!"

Itachi backed away in confusion, "Why do you care?!"

Drew looked utterly horrified, "YOU LEFT HER?!"

Itachi glared and slightly narrowed his eyes. "She left on her own to look for you."

Drew looked shocked. "What?"

Itachi attacked again, and a bit of a fire jutsu collided with Drew.

He screeched and jerked back.

Paige ran back to the crystal where Faythe and Amber were imprisoned, "THEY CAN'T BREATHE!"

Kisame jumped over Daichi, who turned to chase after him.

Itachi glared at Drew, then to Daichi, before charging at the latter.

He knocked Daichi aside while Kisame attacked the girls' crystal.

Paige gasped in relief as the crystal shattered and the two girls stumbled out.

She ran towards them and wrapped her arms around them.

They looked up to her and smirked. Wait… what?

They both waved, and in Hidori's voice stated, "Tricked you~!"

The two girls shattered into a million pieces of crystal.

Paige was shocked beyond belief. "… What… ?"

Drew darted to her side, "What is going on, Daichi?!"

The man stopped his attack on Itachi and turned.

He smirked and stuffed his hands into his pockets as his chakra claws faded.

"You don't get it, still? What a useless loser."

Drew looked confused, "Where are the girls?!"

Daichi walked towards Paige.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to him in shock.

Kisame broke the contact by sliding in front of her.

Daichi smirked, "The girls are with Hidori, and Hidori is busy. I'm sorry, but I'd love to take a message!"

The mocking tone in his voice made Paige freeze in horror, falling to her knees in shock.

She shuddered and dug her fingers into the Earth.

"Faythe… Amber…"

"Where is Hidori?!" Kisame demanded.

Daichi looked to Itachi. "I would ask him if I were you."

Itachi's fist twitched before he replied tonelessly, "Hidori told Morgan that Drew was with her in the center of the maze. She would not believe me that he was against us and went after him. Alone."

Kisame spun around to him and planted his hands on Itachi's shoulders. "WHAT?! ARE YOU INSANE? SHE COULD DIE!"

Itachi batted away his hands and stepped back. "She was forced into everything by me. She has her own choice what to do with her life. She can choose to throw it away if she wishes."

Drew looked mortified, "WHY WOULD I BE WITH HIDORI?!"

Everyone looked to him. Itachi looked… well it was hard to tell. Kisame was confused, Paige was unbelieving, Daichi was amused.

Drew shouted, "Hidori promised she knew where Morgan was! I had to find her, I don't remember anything about myself! All I have is her picture! I just wanted to ask her a few things about me, to see her! And then this happened! I am so sorry!"

He fell to his knees, a look of horror at what he'd done evident on his face.

Daichi chuckled and everyone returned their attention to him.

His eyes darkened with malice. "Morgan is dead."

Every heart in that clearing stopped.

Drew's eyes were wider than plates, with the pupil shrunken to nothing. Paige was close to tears. Kisame dropped Samehada. Itachi looked shocked.

Daichi's hands were in his pockets. "Hidori has sent me the message. Morgan is dead."

Itachi looked to the ground, his face shadowed.

Daichi laughed again… loud enough that everyone was sure they'd remember it every time their eyes closed.

Hidori's spike glowed slightly, and Daichi stepped into it. He was gone in a moment, leaving the startled group in a mangled state.

~Morgan~

Hidori had given me a thorough beating. I was bleeding slightly from my wounds, but mainly just bruised.

"GET UP!" Hidori screamed.

I moved slowly and sat up.

She smiled wildly, "I WILL KILL YOU AND PROVE I AM THE BEST!"

I leaned on the tree as I tried to stand, "Why won't you just kill me like I am?"

She smirked, "I WANT TO ENJOY YOUR MISERY! I WANT TO FIGHT YOU AND SHOW HOW POWERFUL I AM!"

Her laugh was the most insane I had ever heard.

I pushed off of the tree, standing on my own with a glare, "I won't fight you."

She looked furious, "Are you too good for me? Is that it?"

I frowned and repeated, "I won't fight you."

She smirked, "You. Do. Not. Have. A. Choice."

I looked at her in confusion, "Explain."

A chakra spike slid to the side and I gasped.

Faythe and Amber were tied up there… all alone.

Hidori smirked, "Fight me… or you all die."

I gaped at her and then to the terrified girls.

Hidori smirked, "I never planned on using them, but they just seemed to wander into my maze on their own! I never thought children could be so stupid!"

Hidori's spike shot up higher, and they were now suspended at least fifty feet beyond my reach.

"If you want to get them down… FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME, MORGAN!"

I took a breath, closing my eyes in preparation before fixing Hidori with a firm gaze, "Fine."

I had to save the girls.

~Others~

Kisame stopped pacing, whirling around to face Itachi. "What were you thinking?!"

Itachi was only looking at the ground.

Paige stormed over to him, grabbing his shoulder, "Why did you leave her? You love her, right? Why did you go?!"

Drew leaned against the cabin. "This… this is my fault."

His hands were shaking. "If… If I hadn't attacked you earlier… you could have killed Daichi and everything would have been okay…"

Itachi frowned and looked to the side. "Morgan… I forced her into being in the Akatsuki. This is my fault. No one else's but mine."

Kisame looked to Itachi, "Are you talking about saving her? She would have died from chakra overuse if you hadn't saved her!"

Itachi closed his eyes, "I brought her to the base. She was forced to be apart of us because of me."

Paige growled in frustration, before grabbing a handful of Itachi's shirt and shaking him. "Morgan was so happy with you!"

Itachi's head shot up.

Paige was teary eyed. "She… she was concerned about you… she… she was always so upbeat with you! When you left even for an instant, she was so different! She was sad!"

Kisame walked to her side, about to stop her when she batted his hand away.

"SHE'S DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! MY FAMILY IS IN DANGER BECAUSE OF THIS!"

Drew's eyes widened, and he stepped towards the others. "This is a trick! I may have only been with Hidori a month or two but… I know this has to be a trick! She doesn't like competition; she wants Morgan to fight her head on! I've seen Morgan fight! She would not lose so easily!"

Itachi looked around at everyone's faces.

Paige was torn to emotional pieces. Kisame was busy consoling her. Drew was beside himself with emotions.

He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again, straightening his stance.

"I am going after her."


	53. Chapter 53

**Okay, so if this week wasn't stressful enough (honestly, today was pretty cool being in a college class), I can't view the story or profile stats from my profile. It gives me this error message like, "error while processing request". Has anyone ever had this problem? I've emailed Support, even sent them a Tweet from my basically-inactive Twitter, but have received no response.**

 **In summation: Sorry, I can't see how many of you lovely people view Black Ice. I'll dream that it's a bunch :)**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 53**

~Faythe and Amber~

"Why is she so mean?! She's nothin' like Morgan-chuu!" Faythe pouted.

Amber glared at her sister, "It's your fault we got caught."

Faythe stuck her tongue out, "You're the one who said we should go!"

Amber frowned and turned her head to the side in an effort to see Faythe. "Well I can't see anything!"

Their predicament was a bit… bad.

They were suspended high in the air tied to a spike. Faythe's back was pressed to the side where she could watch the fight. Amber, on the other hand, was facing the wrong way and couldn't see anything.

Faythe sighed, "Then move."

"Okay~!" Amber cooed.

Faythe squirmed as Amber tugged against the roped, "What are you…?"

Amber managed to slip out of the ropes, hugging the spike as she slid down and stopped halfway down on a ledge.

Amber looked up and cooed, "What are you still doing up there?"

Faythe rolled her eyes. "Just go! You can go find Paige and Itachi!"

Amber nodded and slid the rest of the way down, luckily landing in a spike-free spot.

Faythe sighed. "She's so lucky…"

She shook her head and turned to watch.

~Morgan and Hidori~

Hidori smirked and crossed her arms, "Let's lay down the rules. We will fight until death. We will only use our chakra, no fists or kicks. And… hmm, that's all!"

I glared as I looked from her to the spike where Faythe and… wait… where was Amber? She was gone? I smirked. Hidori hadn't noticed.

I jumped at Hidori, chakra swirling around my body.

She smirked and a chakra wall appeared in front of her. My spikes crashed against it and shattered. Her shield was so HARD!

She smirked and jumped around it. Her foot collided with my cheek.

I was thrown back and into a spike. I screamed as it shocked me.

She smirked and landed in front of me. At my accusing look, she cooed, "I lied~!"

I stood and we both shot chakra spikes at one another.

As they collided, a plan formed in my mind. Faythe and Amber BOTH needed to get away, but I couldn't do anything big with Hidori in close-range…

Hidori attacked again and I moved my spike to ricochet off of hers.

The spike veered off the course, moving away from our fight.

I ducked under Hidori's kick and controlled the spike.

Faythe looked at me with a confused look.

I winked and she smiled.

The spike I had shot sheared through the rope, and Faythe dropped down the spike. Hidori hadn't put a shocking chakra on that spike, apparently.

I frowned. The girls were free… But if I didn't stall Hidori, they could just end up caught again. That would be bad.

I smirked. But now I could, at the very least, go all out

~Itachi~

I didn't think as I ran. There was nothing to think about. I couldn't worry about Hidori. Sasuke was far from the most important thing at the moment. Nothing needed to be considered. I was tired of thinking. I was simply going to react.

That was my new rule, and I was not going to think about this anymore either. I was just going to let everything happen. Without any restraint, I would charge forward. Without anything to hold me back, without anything to consider or reconsider… I would not waste one more moment of time thinking.

Only one thing is in my mind. I can hear my heart… and it only beats faster.

~Morgan and Hidori~

I couldn't dodge her attacks for much longer! Her spikes were faster than mine, and her moves were always one step ahead of me.

I was constantly tricked into ambushes. Then a spike would press against my back and I would be electrocuted.

I screamed and moved away from the spike and straight into another attack.

What could I do?!

Thorn bush! I could try that!

I launched the attack and Hidori smirked, "Using your old tricks now?"

Nine spikes drove through the brush and cut me.

Scratches on my cheek, forehead, right thigh, both shoulders, right knee, left foot, left hand, and one that nearly pierced my chest.

I gasped and shatter them.

I escaped and found myself right in front of Hidori again.

She smirked, "I know your every move, Morgan-chan!"

She kicked my face and I was thrown into a tree.

A spike grazed my head, slicing off a few strands of hair.

She laughed, "You are so useless! Fight!"

I stood and charged her. She smirked as a group of spikes formed around us.

I gasped and jumped back just as a spike slipped into my back.

I screamed.

I heard her chuckle. "What would Itachi think? You are so weak… he's probably so far gone you could never find him even if you won!"

I looked at the ground.

"Itachi is nothing! He has no power without his eyes! He is a nobody! Without him, you'd be dirt! He's better off without you!"

My face shot up to face hers. "Itachi…"

She smirked and crossed her arms, "He's what, dearie? I can't hear you."

I glared as I stood and straightened my back. "Itachi is my friend. I will not allow you to insult him."

She smirked and leant down in a mocking sort of stance, 'Itachi is a *beep*. What are you going to do about it? He killed his family. He is a complete and utter *beep*."

My chakra swarmed and attacked her from every direction.

My spikes were suddenly stopped right in front of her nose.

"Can you even see them yet?"

I was shocked.

The light flashed over her, and I saw the reflections of tiny, almost invisible, spikes blocking mine.

I took a step back, my eyes wide.

She smirked, "You can't do anything against me. You are going to die."

I heard her, but I chose to ignore it. "I will not die! I will defeat you!"

Hidori nodded and smiled like a predator as she shifted her stance, "Then prepare to meet your maker."

Her spikes shot at me.

I needed some sort of defense, but there were so many spikes… just one of her super-hard attacking-spikes could break one of…

I looked around and smirked.

With most of my leftover chakra, I shot out ten **huge** spikes straight to my left.

Hidori looked at me with a wild and confused expression, "ARE YOU GOING BLIND! MY ATTACK IS NOT THAT WAY!"

I smirked.

"YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE! WHY DO YOU SMILE?"

I laughed as my attack took effect, "I will not die alone. Come along, Hidori. I am taking you with me."

She realized the plan too late.

My spikes had smashed into the base of her tall spike that had held Faythe and Amber, and it was falling straight for us.

She could not dodge.

My chakra was practically gone, but I used the last bit and sent it straight to my feet.

I was thrown out of the way and into a safe zone.

I smirked as her spike crashed down on her.

The dust swirled around me. Victory tasted ever so sweet.

I closed my eyes. All that chakra… that fight with Daichi and now this… I was pretty much done fighting for quite a while.

I laughed as the dust cleared. Hidori was gone! I never had to worry about her ever again!

Until I heard her laugh.

I straightened my back as she stepped OUT of the spike.

"Nice… if you had remembered that it was MY spike, you might have found the right answer."

I groaned and tried to stand.

She smirked and cooed, "Let's make you look the part of the loser~!"

She took a kunai from her pocket.

I backed up and into a tree in the center of the clearing, the one I had run from during the storm.

Hidori smirked.

Her kunai whirled against my body again and again.

My legs and body were bleeding.

I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. No one was coming.

After she was sure I was bloody enough, she backed away, and I fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

"It is almost how I imagined it! Your death, I mean. I had everything all planned out from the beginning. This is the ultimate art! I will make your death something to remember! AHAHAHAHA!"

Her chakra spikes shot at me.

I screamed in agony as her spikes pinned through my hands and into the ground, pinning me to the ground in front of the tree.

She smiles insanely.

"I saw your death in my mind! I imagined how you will die, and I shall make it happen! This is art! Your death is my greatest pleasure!"

She smirked as she began her next attack. Her chakra pressure was enough to hint that I wouldn't live this time.

My eyes were wide. My mouth was open, gasping for breath as the blood flowed freely.

I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!

I squeezed my eyes shut and hunched my shoulders in preparation.

…

Something stepped in front of me and kicked Hidori away.

I opened my eyes in shock.

Itachi stood in front of me, arms wide open, bandages bleeding, breathing hard from exertion, and Sharingan blazing. In the most defiant tone I have ever heard, he glared at Hidori and stated, "Do not touch her."

-!-

 **New pictures added to Pinterest:**

 **'Black Ice Chapter 50' x 3 (three of them with the same name... I think I might need a new naming system...)**

 **'Black Ice Chapter 53'**


	54. Chapter 54

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 54**

Hidori's eyes were wide as she looked at Itachi.

"YOU!" she cursed with venom.

Itachi moved slightly and looked back to me.

"The Sharingan… they're back?" I muttered.

He smirked, "Time's up."

Hidori screamed in rage, "HOW HAS IT BEEN SIX HOURS YET?!"

Itachi smirked and readied himself to fight.

He blinked and Amaterasu burned down the spike just behind Hidori.

She flinched and crouched down to ready her own attack.

Itachi smirked more and more. "You planned everything so I wouldn't have my Sharingan to fight you with. That was quite clever. But that time is up."

Hidori seemed to stop and think. I was utterly shocked by the fact that Hidori looked… nervous…

Hidori shot spikes at Itachi with all her leftover chakra.

He stated very simply, "I see the color of your chakra, Hidori. Even the tiny ones Morgan can't. And…"

He spun in a circle and batted the spikes away with the palms of his hands, kind of like Neji's 360-degree attack. "And I have figured you out." Hidori's eyes were wide as she looked at him, "What?!"

His face turned unemotional, "Your chakra elements are the same as Morgan's, lightning and earth. Knowing this, you have no chance against me."

She took a step back and screamed, "DAICHI!"

The boy slipped out of a rock and frowned.

Hidori laughed, "You can't take us both! Ahahaha!"

Itachi didn't seem to fear anything as they both ran at him.

Daichi transformed mid-step into his chakra cloaked self. He roared and slashed at Itachi with the claws.

Itachi moved and pressed his fingers into Daichi's neck. Daichi was thrown to the ground, where Itachi planted a foot on his back and another on his hands.

Hidori struck out once more. Itachi ducked under them and smirked again. "You lose. I can see everything you do."

Itachi moved his hands smoothly to his lips and took a deep breath.

A huge fireball shot from his mouth and engulfed Hidori.

Her scream was heard over the blaze as she was thrown back and onto her own spikes.

At the pressure on her body, the last of her chakra was drained.

And then something miraculous happened.

Her chakra spikes exploded. They shattered into millions of pieces over all the miles of maze she had created.

My eyes widened as I gazed at them. Hidori fell to the ground and into the cloud of sparkles.

Daichi was released by Itachi. "Go away." He stated, glaring at them both.

Hidori and Daichi both stood and made a run for it.

I looked up and my breath stopped. Itachi stood with his face illuminated by the morning sun that had just risen over the trees. The sparkles danced around him and reminded me of an angel.

And with all the relief from Hidori being gone… I passed out.

~Itachi~

I watched warily as Hidori and Daichi faded into the distance. Morgan looked up at me and I turned my head to look at her directly.

Her eyes seemed to take me in and glaze over. She fainted from exhaustion, her cheeks turning a bright red for some reason.

She whispered in her sleep as I watched, "An angel…"

I smirked slightly as the others arrive.

"ITACHI!" Paige shouted. She slid to a halt and dropped down beside Morgan, breathing hard as she pressed her fingers to her neck.

She smiled, "She's alive! She's okay!"

I glanced down and let my smirk fall, "She is not."

Paige looked down at the blood on her hands from touching Morgan.

She closed her eyes as the others caught up to them.

"Amber, Faythe! Please wait there!"

She checked Morgan's wounds before frowning. "She's going to need stitches. These wounds are similar to the ones you received from Drew… They will have to heal on their own."

I nodded and picked Morgan up in my arms.

Kisame stood in the background next to Paige, watching as Itachi began the trek back to the cabin. "I'll ask him later."

He sighed and turned to where Drew was being picked on by the girls.

"You made Morgan-chan get hurt! Bad you!"

He was trying to avoid their fists very poorly.

Paige rushed around the room doing the things no one else knew how to do.

Itachi and the others watched with faces like fish. Blank.

She growled in frustration, "Don't just stand there with that look on your faces! Itachi, clean that blood off of her! Kisame get me those bandages! Drew just… go do… something."

Drew walked outside with the girls.

Itachi walked over with the cloth and handed it to Paige.

She gave him an exasperated look and sighed. "Right. Now, just… wait."

~Morgan~

Dreams remind me of happiness. I feel warm in this dream. People are around me, people I know very well.

Itachi stands beside me, smiling. Hikari and Paige and Faythe and Amber wave at me.

I reach out for them and miss them. I look around in confusion.

Drew appears beside me and touches my shoulder. Deidara pops up on my other side.

They lift me up and carry me over to the rest of the group.

I laugh and hug everyone. Faces flash in my mind. My parents, family, friends from America, friends in Konoha, friends in the Akatsuki, all of them. They all smile at me.

Dreams are peaceful.

I opened my eyes very carefully. My arm hurt… no my legs hurt more… my back… aw man, I hurt all over…

I blinked slightly and looked around.

"Paige?" I called in confusion.

She appeared above me, "Hey guys! She's awake!"

I sat up and looked around.

Itachi was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed in another of his poses. Kisame was holding Amber upside down by her feet while playing with her. And then two familiar voices yelled, "It's about time!"

I jerked to my feet and slipped.

Someone caught me with a sigh. "You got your *bad word* beaten!"

I smiled at him, "Hidan!"

He smirked and Kakuzu joined us.

"Long time no see."

I nodded and turned to the others.

Itachi gave me a confident smile and I returned it.

Hang on a sec… WHAT IS GOING ON?!

"What happened?"

Paige sighed, "Itachi saved you and brought you here."

I looked to Itachi and remembered the 'angel' thing. *nervous laughter inside of head*

With a quiet voice, I asked, "Where is Drew?"

Paige smiled slightly and sat me down on the couch.

"Drew went after Hidori… He said it was all he could do to make up for all of this."

I glared at my feet. "I couldn't do anything. *bad word*!"

Paige glared at me, "No! You saved the girls! That was amazing!"

I smiled slightly.

Hidan and Kakuzu sighed, "Man! You spend half a week with them, and they already call for us to pick you up! And then when we get here, you sleep the rest of the week away!"

I looked around in confusion. Itachi straightened and walked out of the house with Kisame.

Hidan smirked and stretched out on the couch beside me and Paige. Paige looked annoyed at his antics.

Kakuzu began to explain that we have a mission.

I listened eagerly. A mission would be like a vacation compared to this Hidori thing!

I smiled. It was a lot like my dream. Everyone was here for me, and I for them.

I looked around and noticed that Itachi and Kisame were gone still.

I nodded and excused myself from the discussion and walked outside. I heard voices and stopped. They were arguing.

~Itachi/Kisame~

"Why don't you say something?!"

Itachi didn't reply right away. After a few moments of thought, he stated, "I don't want to."

Kisame growled in frustration. "This is so childish! Just speak to her!"

Itachi answered back with a slight edge in his tone, "She will not be hurt because of me."

"THEN YOU WILL DIE AN IDIOT!" Kisame roared.

Itachi shrugged it off and replied, "It is best this way."

And he began to walk silently to the house.

He stopped when he noticed Morgan listening in from behind a tree.

His eyes widened, she has not seen him yet.

How much had she heard?!

He forced himself to return to where Kisame was still standing angrily.

Itachi whispered, "She heard."

Kisame smirked, "What are you going to do now, eh?"

Itachi muttered, "I will see what she does… and react."

Kisame sighed and smacked a hand on his forehead, "Useless! She leaves today! As soon as she can get over the pain enough to walk, they are gone!"

Itachi smirked and turned away, smile fading as he walked back to the cabin again, "I know that, Kisame."

~Morgan~

I'm not so sure what their conversation was about earlier, since I was too far to really hear any distinct words, but Hidan and Kakuzu had been bugging me since I came back to get ready to leave.

I talked them into staying to eat with Paige, at least for lunch.

Paige seemed kind of down.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a concerned tone.

Paige looked at me and then to all the people with us.

"It's been so much fun with all of these people. Amber and Faythe really like it as well…"

I smiled to her and replied, "I would love to stay if I could… but there are a few things I need to take care of."

Paige looked up curiously, "You lost your memory, right?"

I nodded with a smile. "I did."

She asked quietly while everyone else was distracted, "What do you think you left behind at your old life?"

I smiled, "Friends, a family, people… I ache for some already."

Paige smiled really big, "Then I have an idea!"

I frowned and she grinned even wider. "I'll travel with the girls and try to find out more about you!"

I smiled back and laughed slightly, "There isn't a need! But I do have a favor to ask…"

Paige beamed at me, "Anything!"

With a calm smile I asked, "Can I leave something here… Just for later… like a memorial kind of?"

Paige's eyes softened, "Of course."

I walked to another room as the others were led outside by Paige. I undid a board in the floor and retrieved a little wooden box from my pocket. Carved into the top was the combination. Inside the box was a letter.

It went like this:

Whoever should find this-

My name is Morgan Stream and several things have happened to me. My world is growing farther and farther away. I don't remember my family as well. They seem to be a blur to me now. My old friends don't seem as close to me as my new ones. The world I knew is practically gone. The one I live in now is far more confusing. I hear conversations I don't understand, I get into fights with people I hardly know. So many things have happened recently. But even through all that… There is something I need to tell someone. Even though I can't say it now… Even if this is never read… I need to say something about what happened here in this very valley. It was here that a fight raged, and throughout the fight… I learned something. I learned that I am too weak for this world. I was not born to fight. I was not born to kill. So during my days here, I will train. I will train until I am strong enough not to need protection. I will train until Hidori will run from my shadow. I will train until I realize who I can really become. Until then, I leave with these last words…

Until the next time, tomorrow maybe…

I end with: Itachi-Sharingan Saga… END!

Paige looked back at the cabin with a gaze of recollection. It was finally time to move on. Amber stood on her right and Faythe on her left as they looked back at the house. Not much destruction was left from Hidori's attack, and the land had begun to look calm again. That was nature's way, to prove no person could ever ruin it.

Paige smiled in remembrance of their friends. Itachi had come back once. He had come alone and said nothing.

She remembered his eyes being dim and thoughtful. He reminded her of an empty shell. He had refused to say anything to her or the girls about the organization, and had simply… left…

Paige remembered him reading something in the living room, hiding it away before she could read it. She remembered Morgan's favor, and realized that she must have left it. Itachi had come to read it, and that was all.

And so the three girls walked away from the house at long last to embrace the future.

Amber looked at the sky and took Paige's hand. "Morgan-chan must be really happy now."

Faythe nodded and blushed, "I hope she and Itachi-san got married and lots of kids!"

Paige smiled ever so slightly, "It's only been a few years…I doubt they have many kids."

Faythe laughed happily, "Well, I bet they got married!"

Amber smiled, "There's no way either of them would die!"

Paige smiled softly. "Yeah…" She closed her eyes in a silent prayer, before taking a deep breath and opening her eyes brightly.

"Alright! Let's go."

The two girls pumped their fists into the air, "Yeah!"

-!-

 **New pictures added to Pinterest:**

 **'Black Ice Chapter 54'**

 **'Black Ice Logo v3'**


	55. Chapter 55

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 55**

"Man oh man it's great to have you back, Morgan!" Hidan went on and ON and NEVER shut up.

I could've sworn he was the real identity of Tobi if I didn't know better.

We'd been walking for a day and half straight. My wounds were still aching and stinging, but we kept moving.

 **Le Mission Requirements:**

 **-Acquire Holy Bell**

Yeah. Apparently this "Holly Bell" has the ability to control demons. If a demon hears the chime, they have to obey. *laugh* Yeah right!

I smiled with tired eyes at Hidan. "Yeah, yeah, Hidan… you missed me… I get it already…"

He sighed and swung his arm up to scratch the back of his head.

"Well Kakuzu sure isn't any *beep*ing fun."

Kakuzu growled, "Can't you just shut up, Brat?! You're working on my last nerve!"

Hidan sighed, "So overly dramatic, Kakuzu…"

Kakuzu glared, "I will kill you."

Hidan wrapped an arm around his partner's shoulders and cooed, "Aw don't *beep* with me! I'm *beep*ing immortal!"

I sighed and interrupted them, "I think you can both die."

They looked to me and I grinned. I know things they don't! But… that's actually really sad…

Anyway…

"HEY, I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

"RUN BRAT! KEEP ON RUNNING!" they screamed at me.

I guess it wasn't very funny to cut off Hidan's head from behind and wipe the blood on Kakuzu. Actually, who was II kidding?! HAHAHAHAHA!

Up ahead, I saw a river. I skidded to a halt beside the edge, Hidan and Kakuzu too confused to stop running.

"AHAHAHA!" I laughed as they looked at me in confusion before falling straight into the water.

I darted up the stream bed.

Without paying attention to where I was going, I look behind me at them.

They were crawling out of the water, spluttering like wet cats.

I laughed and kept running for several miles.

I finally stopped to catch my breath. There was a sudden sharp pain as I heaved for breath.

"D-Dammit…"

I clutched my side before looking down at my hand, which was covered with blood from a reopened wound.

"Crap…"

I fumbled through my things and couldn't find the medicine or bandages.

I heard a growl and looked up. Hidan was there cracking his knuckles. Kakuzu seemed just about ready to murder me… uh oh.

I backed away slightly and cringed as the wound ripped open further.

Kakuzu growled, "You expect us to treat you, don't you! Little Brat!"

I closed my eyes tightly as they got closer.

I suddenly felt my entire body move and opened my eyes.

Kakuzu had thrown me over his shoulder and was carrying me. "Just keep quiet so we can get somewhere Hidan can't see you."

I blushed, remembering how several of the wounds were around my chest. What I wouldn't pay for a girl right about now…

I just relaxed and let the guy carry me without a problem. I was held over his right shoulder with my face near his back and my legs hanging down his front. His arm held my knees to keep me from falling. To my astonishment, he was handling me quite gently… so as not to open the wounds more, probably. He was even walking more carefully.

I was about to thank him just as he knocked me out. "Would you just stop moving already?"

So I passed out, reminding myself he was NOT REALLY a nice guy. *sticks out tongue*

~? ? ? ? ? ? ?~

The herbs I have been picking were beginning to grow few and far between. I had enough now to treat a few surprise wounds I might find in the next village or so.

I stood and brushed the dirt off of my traveler's robe. I straightened my hair back into place and returned to the path.

A few spirits followed me as I walked. As a saint, I'd learned to see the spirits. They often asked me to help them pass on. Some, usually child ones, asked me to play. But some spirits just enjoyed watching the world go by. Those sometimes followed me on journeys.

One of those spirits had landed on my shoulder and was taking a weightless ride somewhere.

I smiled to her and continued my walk.

Just around the bend in the trees I saw two figures. One looked… misshapen in the glare of the sun. I frowned and walked a little faster in order to catch up with them.

As I got closer, I saw the girl slung over the man's shoulder.

My heartbeat quickened. Was she hurt? I saw blood on a wound from her back. Was she alive? The men were talking about getting her to a village before she bled to death. So she was alive… and injured.

I looked to the spirit on my shoulder, "Can you tell me their names?"

The spirit nodded to me and whispered the names in my ear.

I frowned. Kakuzu, Hidan, and Morgan.

I pulled a book from the insides of my robe and flipped through the pages. My eyes narrowed into a glare. The two men were both 'S' rank ninja criminals.

I closed the book and looked up.

Hidan, the one with white hair, was in my face. He had been reading the book with me.

"So… you think you can beat us?"

I glared at him and stated, "Give me the girl."

Kakuzu had easily laid the girl on the ground and turned to face me as well.

Hidan smirked, "Who are you to make us?"

I glared at him and stated, "I am a Saint."

Hidan fell to the ground laughing. "You serious, chick? Well nice to meetcha! My name's Hidan and I am a Jashinest! Ever thought about converting? I might let you go if you do!"

I had heard several things about Jashinism and its followers. In my book, they were the type to be sent to a bad place where good spirits don't go.

I moved slightly and he mirrored my movement. "So, you really do want to die?"

"Just give me the girl."

He sighed, "No can do. Itachi'd have a cow."

I glared. I DEFINITELY remembered that name. "Itachi Uchiha", another 'S' rank ninja.

"What is she to you?!" I demanded.

Kakuzu answered me, "A member of Akatsuki. Got a problem with it?"

I was absolutely sure I'd never heard her name before. She could not be a criminal…

I glared, "She's hurt, isn't she? Did you do it to her?!"

Hidan scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I guess we did! Ahahaha… Hey, Kakuzu, wouldn't this chick be better to heal her than you? At least she's a girl."

I glared at him and Kakuzu nodded. "I suppose. Since when do you care?"

Hidan smirked, "Never. But I bet Morgan would."

Kakuzu nodded and walked over to me.

I readied myself for a fight when, faster than I could react, his hand detached from his arm and shot at me. His hands gripped my upper arm and dragged me over to the girl on the ground.

Kakuzu sighed. "There are wounds on her chest, back, and some on her legs. If you don't mind, please work quickly, SAINT."

I glared at him as he and Hidan pulled off their cloaks and stood with the cloaks blocking all view of me and the girl from potential passerby on the path.

I frowned and got to work.

~Morgan~

… huh?

"HOLY CRAP WHO ARE YOU?!" I screamed as I woke up. Wearing nothing but my chest wrap, I jumped out of the cloak-curtain and fell into the two men holding it up.

Hidan and Kakuzu both had looks on their faces like 'HOLY CRAP A WOMAN IN WRAP!'

Pervs…

I spun around, grabbing for Hidan's scythe, and gaped at the woman.

No wait… SHE WAS ONLY LIKE 14!

I calmed down and tried to slow my heartbeat.

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

I'm PRETTY dang sure I saw something on her shoulder when I woke up! But now it's gone and I'm freaking out over nothing.

She frowned, "My name is Aura Tsukikage. I am a priest."

I blinked, "A priest?"

She laughed slightly, "Well, kind of. I perform exorcisms and stuff."

I smiled awkwardly, "So why… *nervous laugh* are you here?"

Kakuzu sighed, "You didn't want me to do it, right?"

I smiled and replied, "Never mind! I thank you very much!"

She smiled, "How did you get hurt? Did they do it to you?"

I looked at Hidan with an evil smirk, "Oh yeah. They beat me loads of times every day."

Hidan got a huge angry look on his face, "WE DO WHAT?!"

I laughed at him as I jumped up and darted around the trees trying to avoid him.

Kakuzu sighed in annoyance, "Your assistance is no longer needed. Please leave."

Aura shouted, "I am not leaving without her!"

I stopped mid-leap and turned to her, "Eh?!"

Hidan tackled me into the bushes and we returned with leaves in our mouths, "EH?!"

She pointed a finger at them with the other hand on her hip, "I can't leave a normal person with two 'S' rank criminals! Especially such an evil person as a Jashinest!"

Hidan looked stunned. "… Eh? … … … HEY, I AM WAY BETTER THAN A GHOST SEEING FREAK, YOU *bad word*!"

Oh boy… here we go again…

-!-

 **New picture added to Pinterest:**

 **'Black Ice Chapter 55'**


	56. Chapter 56

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 56**

~Konoha~

Shikamaru sighed as he lay on the hill near the village square. His eyes danced over the clouds, eyes blinking open and closed as he relaxed.

Someone joined him and he opened his eyes a crack. "Need something, Hikari?" he asked, closing his eyes again as he tried to doze off in the warmth of the sun.

The girl sighed and breathed in the air. "I was wondering something… you and Morgan were close, right?"

He nodded and opened his right eye slightly to look at her. Hikari shuffled nervously. "Why was she sent away? From the village, I mean."

Shikamaru sighed before turning his head to face Hikari, "There was another girl who very much resembled her… She was a well-known dangerous ninja. We mistook her for "Hidori" and attacked her."

"And she forgave you? Isn't that rather strange?" Hikari asked.

Shikamaru laughed, "Morgan was always kind of strange."

He calmed down and sighed, "But she's got plenty of people she can depend on now."

Hikari's smile grew. "Yeah, I know. I met them… they were really nice to her."

Shika nodded again before sighing, "I'm taking a nap now. I think Lee was looking for you though…"

She stood and dusted off her clothes. "Well, I'll see you later, Shikamaru!"

He waved ever so slightly, watching as she ran down the hill.

A rumor had begun to spread through Konoha. The rumor: Morgan Stream was KIA during an attack from Hidori.

Shino's team, led by Kakashi, was out checking its validity.

Shikamaru breathed in and said to himself, as if to settle his mind, "Morgan will not die. She has not come back to say 'goodbye' yet…"

And he closed his eyes and lost himself to the sun's warmth.

~Deidara and Sasori~

Deidara glided on his clay bird just above the ground as Sasori walked beside him inside of his puppet.

Deidara glanced up to the sky as a black hawk swooped down and landed on his outstretched arm.

He opened the valve and a letter fell out.

Sasori looked at his partner in curiousity, "… Well?"

Both had stopped moving, and Deidara hopped to the ground. "It's from Itachi. It's got his marks on it."

The bird's claw had the Uchiha symbol engraved on it. (In a way as not to harm the bird)

Deidara's eyes scanned over the paper, widening before scanning it again.

"Morgan and Hidori met and fought on their mission. Morgan was injured badly and Hidori escaped."

Sasori nodded, "Then she's with Hidan and Kakuzu now."

Deidara nodded and sighed, "As far as I remember, Hidori never hinted at being this insane. Though it did show through a few times, I guess… Several times, in fact… Like the spider incident."

Sasori frowned, "I don't think I know this story. What was Hidori like, anyway?"

Deidara frowned and stated, "It's a long story."

Sasori began to walk, "Tell it as we go. You know how I hate to keep others waiting."

Deidara hopped back onto his bird and began the story. "One of the times I remember the most was when we were six. All the same, we were both disliked by the village…"

~The Story of Hidori and the Spider~

" _Deidara," Hidori calls, "Look at this!"_

 _I turn and look to my friend, "Yeah?"_

 _The girl smiles brightly and coos, "Look what Mamma gave me for my birthday!"_

 _I notice the small kitten in her hands. I smile at it and ask, "So what are you going to name it, Hidori-chan?"_

 _She frowns and taps her chin as she pets the animal, "How about Love?!"_

 _I laugh slightly and cough out, "You have to be joking! That's so stupid!"_

 _She glares at me and returns, "Well what kind of name is Deidara? So stupid and disgusting!"_

 _I growl and swing out my arms angrily, "Well, who would name a cat Love?! That's such a crappy name!"_

 _Hidori glares at me and turns around, "Well, if you can't love my Love then I don't want to ever see you again!"_

 _We were only like this to one another. To everyone else we would act more mature… Still, we did not like each other._

 _I watched as she ran off with that cat._

 _For the next two months, Hidori was obsessed with that cat. She never looked at anyone else, or talked to anything but "Love"._

 _I trained during this time. I was so mad at that cat that I… I wanted to kill it. Hidori was the only person in the village that was hated like me! And now others were less and less scared of her, because she had a friggin cat! It made me so mad! What was so good about that cat?!_

 _Well, anyway… The next day came and I found Hidori in the park… alone._

 _I heard her crying and went to her side._

 _She was holding "Love" in her arms and hugging him to her._

 _I asked her what was wrong and she glared at me._

 _She stood and threw the cat at me… dead. The cat was dead. Love was dead._

 _She screamed, "EVERYONE WISHED HE WAS DEAD AND HE DIED!"_

 _I remember that insane glint in her eyes. I remember how much hatred had been in her voice._

 _I had buried the cat in the forest with a huge tombstone in front, with 'Love' written on it._

 _Hidori was at our training spot the next day. She was crying again._

 _I asked her what was wrong, and she answered, "The vet took a test on Love yesterday to see what killed him. I found out."_

 _I walked in front of her to see her expression._

 _Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was closed in a straight line._

" _Love died because of a spider bite. I left him alone at home one day… and a spider bit him! A STUPID SPIDER KILLED MY LOVE!"_

 _She dropped to the ground and held her head in her hands. Her wails pierced the day's peace with high-pitched shrieks._

 _I took a step back._

 _She stopped crying and stood up. "Don't you think it's funny? His name was something I felt for him. And he died. Dad died. Mom is all sick. Everyone dies. Don't you think it's funny? Everyone dies in such boring ways. To a heart attack… to a spider bite… to a cough? It is so stupid! Well, I won't die like that! I want to die beautifully! I will die in a way to remember!"_

 _I remember the glint in her eyes. I remember the hatred in her tone. I remember this was the first hint at how she would become in the future._

~end of story~

Deidara sighed and looked to Sasori, who sighed. "Sounds like a spoiled brat."

Deidara chuckled. "Yeah."

The two walked on.

Deidara asked, "So, when are we going for my Jinchurikki again?"

"Annoying. Just do as I say and we will get there at the right time."

Deidara nodded, "Right, Sasori no Danna."

~Itachi and Kisame~

Kisame walked past the shops without bothering to look at the merchandise. Itachi stared off into the sky.

"It is about to rain," his dreary voice stated.

Kisame nodded his head gloomily and replied, "Seems like it won't let up for a while after it starts. Should we stay here?"

Itachi looked briefly at the building they were approaching, "We should move on."

Kisame sighed and walked into the hotel. "You really should take better care of yourself."

Inside the hotel, three women greeted the duo. "Welcome to Tsuki Ryokan! We are here to serve~!"

Itachi took one look at the three girls' outfits and immediately turned to leave.

Kisame sighed, "You are not condemned to death for staying at a hotel."

Itachi's eyes were glued to the floor. "But… Morgan… I… girls… no…" he muttered in confusion.

Kisame sighed, "You will not be cheating on your imaginary girlfriend if you stay at a Ryokan."

The girls in front of them giggled.

Itachi muttered, "I don't want to stay here."

Kisame sighed and stated, "One room, please."

The girls nodded and led the two back to their room.

Kisame pulled Itachi inside and shut the sliding door.

Itachi made tea and stood near the window with his cup.

Kisame followed and looked sympathetically at his partner, "You should have just said something."

Itachi frowned, "I will not."

Kisame rolled his eyes and sipped his steaming tea. "She didn't seem to react much when she overheard us."

Itachi opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Kisame followed.

The two looked at one another, waging a silent battle of stubborn wills.

Itachi was the first to look away, "I have close to three months left to go."

Kisame sighed, "Calm down. Nothing happened the last time, correct?"

Itachi glared. "I am going out to train."

He stepped off the back of the porch and began to walk into the trees.

Kisame sighed as the first drop of rain hit his nose.

"Idiot. You'll die before you get to see her again if you keep this up."

He stepped inside and closed the door.

~Drew~

So I never got my chance to ask Morgan about myself. It didn't really matter anymore. I'd seen her… but because of that, I hurt her.

Now, on top of that, I'd lost Hidori's trail. I'd been looking for it for ages. Well… not really. A week or so.

I sighed and slowed my pace. Morgan was definitely safe now, so I could relax a little.

I walked into the town. I smiled as I suddenly remembered where I was. This was the village where I'd saved those people.

I heard a gasp and a girl's familiar voice.

Without having to look, I knew it was the girl I had thought might be Morgan.

She ran up to me, "Drew! It is you! I thought so!"

I smiled at her and she returned it.

"Did you find that girl?!" She asked.

I felt my smile falter.

She seemed to catch on and grabbed my arm. "Come on… Granny can fix you some tea."

I thanked her and she led me to the old woman's house.

I was handed the tea. Very good tea, in fact. Its smell was comforting in light of last week's events.

The two sat in front of me and asked what happened.

"Did you find her?" the Granny asked.

I smiled, "Yes."

The girl asked me, "What was she like? Was she what you expected?"

"I ended up hurting her… And on top of that, I never found out anything about us. She was with a bunch of people, two men and three girls… She didn't need me around so I left."

The two frowned, "Do you think you will ever see her again?"

I smirked, "Yep!"

They grinned, "That's good!"

I nodded and thought a little. I had the feeling that I would meet her again. With a small smile, I looked up at my two kind hosts.

"Would it be possible… to stay with you for a short while? I need some training time and a place to stay for the duration. I promise to work for my keep."

Granny smiled, "We would be honored."

And so that's how I found myself a new family. Funny how it all came full circle, huh?


	57. Chapter 57

**Sorry for the late update, but fanfiction. net login/profile was down. Enjoy the two chapters!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 57**

"Yes sir… I understand perfectly. Thank you so much for the job!"

I bowed rapidly over and over again.

Faythe gave me a look like *we have to do WHAT?!*

I smiled down to her as the owner handed me my new uniform.

"You and the girls may stay in room 425 with the others workers. Have a nice day."

I nodded and pulled at the girls' hands. "Let's go."

They followed me down the hall and up to the new room.

I knocked and waited, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Why do we have to work?" Amber asked.

I smiled down to them and replied, "We have to work to earn money for food!"

They complained, "But you didn't have to work at the cabin, Paige!"

I flinched, "That's because we grew our food then."

They sighed and opened the door.

I, without looking where I was going, walked forward.

I ran smack dab into something and looked up.

"Well, well… what do we have here?"

My cheeked blazed red as I looked up at the man in front of me.

He smirked and lowered his head to my level, "A new maid? Younger than the others."

I took a step back from him and fell down between the girls.

His left eyebrow moved upwards, but the quizzical look didn't changer.

"Or maybe not so young. To have two daughters…what are you, hm? Eighty in disguise?"

I jumped up and shouted, "WHO ARE YOU, BRAT!"

He smirked and bowed dramatically, offering a hand to me, "Haha… nice to meet you, Miss… ?"

I took his hand with a glare. He pulled me to my feet.

"Paige. And these two are my sisters."

He kissed the top of my hand and my cheeked flush a deeper red. "My name's Araki. Pleasure meeting you, I suppose."

I pulled my hand away and he smirked. "I can't wait to meet you again. Goodbye for now… Though… my heart will yearn for you."

The man walked past me and down the hallway.

I stood there staring after him for a while. What was with that guy?!

Amber brought my mind back by jumping up and down in front of my face. "Paige? Are you okay? Can we go in now?"

I started from my shock and lead them in.

Three other women were there.

They saw my expression and began to laugh.

"So he's done it again has he? A real lady killer, isn't he!"

I blinked and the first woman walked over to me. "Welcome to the Hoshi Ryokan!"

I smiled slightly and asked, "Who was that guy?"

The one who had welcomed me laughed. "He is our best customer! He comes one day a week. He's always picking on the girls and women who come here! The maids are the only ones who really ever get used to him!"

I smiled and Amber clutched to my pants from behind. Her eyes danced over the women in their yukata.

The second, and youngest of the three, smiled. "Now then… you must be our newest little helpers!"

Faythe stated very simply, "Paige says we need money so we can eat. And to get money we have to work. So yes."

They giggled and patted the girls' heads.

This earned them a glare from Faythe and a blush from Amber.

They looked to my uniform in my arms and smiled. "Why don't you try that on?"

I nodded and stepped into a bathroom to change.

It fit me beautifully. The women giggled and told me to go ahead and use the bath first. Work would start tomorrow!

~The Next Day~

"Ah… is that woman new? I've never seen her before."

"Oh yes! She is a new hired hand, I heard that her family died and she's raising two girls all by herself!"

"That's so responsible! She must be very well mannered!"

I walked into the room and bowed low. "Good morning! I've come to ask when you would prefer your breakfast, Visitor-sama."

The old couple blushed slightly and gave me my answer.

I bowed again and thanked them before returning to the kitchens.

Amber and Faythe were trying desperately to fetch things for the chef. He, having a weakness for big eyes, ended up working harder than usual.

I smiled to him as I walked inside.

"Room 234 wishes to have breakfast as soon as possible! But please, don't push yourself too much!"

My eyes widened as I looked around the room, "YOU!"

Araki stood, leaning on the counter, cutting apples into slices and divvying them out to the girls.

I pointed at him and he concentrated on the girls, having not yet noticed me.

My arm shook.

He opened one eye and saw me gaping at him.

He smiled and walked over to me. He handed me the knife and the rest of the apple, "Want some~?"

I gaped at him.

He grinned. "Your name's Pade right?"

"IT'S PAIGE!"

He laughed slightly and ruffled my hair. "Is that so? I did think Pade was a bit of a boy name!"

Faythe and Amber were laughing.

Araki turned and bowed with a flourish of his hand. "Ah, how lovely it is to amuse two princesses such as yourselves!"

My eye began to twitch, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? PICKING ON MY SISTERS LIKE THIS!"

The girls both BLUSHED and SMILED. "Araki is really nice, Paige!"

I glared at him.

He waved. I ignored him and began to help out with the cooking.

Mr. Cook told me that he needs to talk to the manager a moment and left me alone to cook. *sigh*

Araki walked up behind me. "So, you don't like the playboy type, hm?"

I glared at him. "Get lost."

He moved closer and touched my shoulder.

I spun around and slammed my wooden spoon into his head.

He fell to the ground and clutched his forehead. "How mean!"

WHAT IS WITH THIS GUY?!

He looked to the girls and asked, "Do you want to play in my room?"

I dropped my spoon. "NO WAY!"

I grabbed onto the front of his shirt and whacked his head into the counter several times.

He laughed the whole time and cooed, "Just kidding! I was only kidding!"

I released him and he helped me save the burning food.

~End of the Day~

"Uuuugh…" I groaned as I slipped into the water of the women's bath.

Faythe and Amber finished before me and I was relaxing by myself.

"What an annoying twit."

I sighed and decided that he was getting ignored from this moment on.

I finished and walked back to our room. There were voices conversing inside.

Woman #1: Who's that from?

Woman #2: Araki.

Woman #3: Who for? He's not normally so dead set on anyone.

I walked in and sighed, "He's rather annoying."

Amber and Faythe were fast asleep on their bed.

I sat down at the tea table as the women placed my tea down.

Woman #2: Well, he sent these to you!

I glanced up and spat my tea out in shock.

A bouquet the size of boulder was stretched out on the floor.

I stood and pointed at it, gaping in shock.

"WHAT THE?!"

Woman #1: Ahahaha! Araki seems rather taken with you!

I glared and stated, "Well, I don't like him at all."

The three laughed at me.

~The Next Day~

"Paige-chan!" called a voice.

I turned and was tackled to the ground.

"WHAT THE?!"

Araki hugged my waist. "Aw, I missed you Paige-chan!"

A major eye twitch resumed on my face. What. An. Idiot.

He grinned and picked me up in his arms.

"Wanna go play in my room~?"

"NO WAY, YOU FREAK!"

I jumped down and karate-kicked him into the next room.

An old lady looked up in confusion as her tea was thrown from her hand.

I smiled and walked in calmly, "May I make you another cup, Madam-sama?"

She nodded and I left to make it.

Araki jumped up and ran over to assist me.

I smacked him with a shoe and ignored him.

"But Paige-chan…" *big google eyes*

So he has two personalities. Yesterday was the "Play-boy" and today was the "Toy Breaker Cute Act"…

He followed me into the hall, "You are so nice, Paige-chan! You must have made tea a lot for your family!"

I glared at him, "You are such a brat! I have way too many things to worry about than to acknowledge such an annoying brat!"

He sighed and rubbed his chin, "So Paige-chan doesn't like the cute act either… Hm…"

I smacked the back of his head. "Go to sleep or something."

He waveed me off, "Yeah, yeah!"

Woman 1: So he sent this as well?

Woman 2: Yes he did! He even met me in the hall to bring it here!

I walked out from tucking the girls in and gaped.

A STATUE of chocolate that looked like HIM stood there as tall as a horse.

I screamed and darted back into my room. "HE'S A STALKER, I SAY! A STALKER!"

~The next time we met… ~

I walked into the next room on my list. I hadn't ever had this room before.

"Oh!"

I looked up and saw Araki. Oh good Lord, why me?

He smirked slightly and asked, "Want some tea?"

I nodded tiredly, "Sure, why not…"

He sat down with me on his couch. I was VERY far away from him.

"It's been a hard day, then?"

I nodded and watched him suspiciously. Another personality change? HE HAS THREE?!

Anyway… So Araki sipped his tea and asked, "Did you get the presents I sent you?"

I glared. "Yes."

He nodded slightly, "And you didn't like them?"

I glared, "Loser."

He anime fell, "You are so hard to please!"

I frowned. "I know your type very well. You do whatever it takes to make a girl fall for you and them dump them the next day."

Araki's eyes widened. He lifts a finger almost like an objection.

I ignored him and rambled on, "Well I've seen real love and I don't want any of this fake stuff!"

He seemed desperate to speak.

"Besides! You aren't my type anyway!"

He seemed about to burst if he couldn't say something.

"All those strange presents! I bet many girls just fall all over you!"

He looked very uncomfortable.

"Well I will never fall for someone as fickle as you!"

I stood and began on my way out the door.

His hand grabbed mine, "Paige-san!"

I looked back to him and glared, "What now?"

He smiled slightly. "I uh… was only… doing what the others thought… I should…"

I blinked.

He rubbed the back of his head slightly, his cheeks tinted red.

"You see… *blush* My uncle owns this Ryokan… My father works as a head to a huge business for making ninja weapons… And they send me here all the time to meet… a girl."

I frowned, "So that's why you are such a playboy. Well, I don't care a thing in the world about your money!"

I turned to leave again and he shouted, "Wait a sec!"

I turned and his blush deepened.

"I uh… um… well… What you've heard is true, I guess. I flirt a lot… but I only do it to attract more business here! Uncle likes the attention we get… And… I… never met anyone…"

He looked more embarrassed than I'd ever seen a boy before.

"Uncle didn't like you… 'A girl with two children can't be any good!', he said… well I… I… talked him into hiring you and the girls. You looked really happy about it, too. I ran back to the maid station and told them about you. They seemed happy enough… And the girls promised not to say anything to you."

I frowned, "What? You got me hired? Well I'm thankful, but why…?"

He clenched his fists and shouted, "At first, I just thought you were pretty!"

He looked ashamed.

"But then I was talking to the girls in the kitchen that day… They were talking to me about all the things you did for them. And after watching you for a while I found out that your personality… is…"

My eyes widened, "YOU WERE SPYING ON ME?!"

He laughed slightly and scratched the back of his head. "Ah… yeah I did…"

His face was blood red. "My bad… but I wanted to know about you!"

I sighed and stood. "Well, try learning the usual way."

He stood and follow me outside, "How do I do that?"

I smirked, "How about you buy me and girls dinner?"

He sighed and laughed slightly, "Ah sure… why not?"

I smiled, "You have the biggest split personality ever!"

He seemed confused.

"But I guess Itachi-san did too!"

He looked shocked, "Who's Itachi?!"

I smiled and laughed, "My old friend's love~!"

He blushed, "You had me worried there a sec…"

I frowned, "I think Drew had a bit of one too… A shame… he was so cute."

Araki looked stunned, "Who? Who's he? Hang on a sec?! Paige?! Who's that?!"

I winked and ran off, laughing. Let's see just what happens from here! After all… Araki IS hot. And the girls approve~!


	58. Chapter 58

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 58**

"CONVERT!"

"YOU FIRST!"

"NO THANK YOU!"

"THEN GET OFF MY BACK, WOMAN!"

"NO WAY! CONVERT!"

Kakuzu and I looked back and forth between the two as they argued.

"How did they get started on this?"

"I think Hidan called her a bad word."

I rolled my eyes, "Did I ever react like that, Kakuzu?"

He stopped to think, "Well, there was the last Christmas party when you got a little drunk…"

I slammed my hand over Kakuzu's cloth-covered mouth. "SHH! Author-san might make a short story out of it! NO!"

Kakuzu seemed to realize that and smirked, "Like when Tobi slipped that alcohol into your coke and you got drunk… and then you decided to stay in Hidan's roo…"

I cut him off by kicking him in a bad place and stomping on his face as he went down.

"Now, where was I? Oh yeah… "

"JASHIN IS AMAZING! CONVERT!"

"JASHIN IS A HORRIBLE RELIGEON! I'D RATHER DIE!"

Hidan and Aura were right up in each others faces.

I sighed and asked, "Are you planning on stopping soon?"

Aura turned to me and laughed, "I can't leave you with this heathen!"

I felt my eye twitch as she and Hidan went back to fighting like rabid dogs on the ground, pulling hair and slapping.

"Hey, Hidan?"

He stopped mid-pull and asked, "What?"

I smiled and cooed, "Remember what Leader said?"

Hidan growled as he stood up and left the girl alone. " 'I will revoke your criminal record…' "

"And what happens when he does that?"

"People will think I'm a wuss."

"And?"

"And I won't scare people anymore."

"And?"

"And Tobi will have a… *flinch* longer record than me."

I smiled and nodded.

He mumbled something under his breath but I ignored it.

"Well, I'm perfectly safe and fine right here. You should go."

She looked confused, "You WANT to be with them?"

I nodded, "Yep."

She glared, "Liar. I'm coming along, so when you need my help I'll be there!"

*sigh*

Dang this girl is persistent!

And so that was how our journey started… all in search of some weird little bell.

"MORGAN IS HUNGRY! STOP AND GET HER SOMETHING TO EAT YOU LITTLE HEATHEN!"

"WHY DO I HAVE TO? SHE HAS HER OWN FOOD!"

I'd been munching on sandwiches for the last hour since their latest argument started.

"Think they'll ever shut up?" I asked Kakuzu.

"No."

"I can hope, right?"

"No."

"Dang it…"

The first place in our search of the bell was just ahead on the path, slowly coming into view.

A palace fit for an Emperor, in my opinion, loomed up big and tall; red roofs and white walls all the way up.

Hidan smirked, "So here's the long lost temple of the Jashinest Priests!"

I frowned and asked, "How can something this big be LOST?"

He frowned at me, "That is one of the big mysteries of the show of Naruto."

(Seriously? WTF?!)

We walked to the door and Hidan shouted, "OPEN UP YOU BIG, STUPID, *beeping* DOOR!"

My eye twitched again as the door swung open. Hidan looked so proud, "Yeah! I knew that was the password!

Aura cleared her throat and we looked over to her.

She gestured to a rope on the door. "I pulled this."

Hidan looked mad. Surprise, surprise…

As they launched into another argument, Kakuzu and I walked into the temple to escape their yells.

"YOU CONVERT!"

"YOU DO IT!"

"NO WAY! CONVERT!"

The lost temple of the Jashin people had a TON of artwork. Most of it was trashed, though…

I saw several people who looked like Hidan in pictures.

"Hey, Kakuzu…?"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't this all kinda creepy?"

"Just think of it as Hidan's old house and you'll be fine."

And I was! That weird pictures with moving eyes was Hidan's dead cat watching us. The suite of armor that nearly sliced me up was his grandma who was mad at him for breaking her vase.

And so we made it to the attic.

"Hidan said a scroll was here, right?"

Kakuzu nodded and began to go through a load of drawers.

"How to become a Jashinest… How to praise your new gods… Jashinest for dummies…"

I slipped that scroll into my bag… Heheh…

Kakuzu found what we had come for and opened it.

SOMEHOW he blew on it and the wind blew the dust off. Weird mask.

He looked at it and began to read. "It says something about a lake."

I sighed and took the paper from him. "What language is it in?"

"Ancient something or another."

I read it out loud to him. "On our country's northern border, wet and deep and clear, rests our oldest hiding place, nothing at all to fear. A lake that shines is bright as day and water as cool as night in shade. On a bank of grassy hills rests out first hiding place. Here they say a bell does twinkle and demons gather to play."

"How did you read it?" Kakuzu asked.

I frowned, "I just can?"

We walked back outside with the scroll. Nothing had changed in our absence.

"NO, YOU GO FIRST!"

"I INSIST THAT YOU GO FIRST!"

"YOU ARE SUCH A PAIN YOU *BEEPING* WOMAN!"

I took our newest acquaintance by the scruff of her shirt and began to walk away.

Kakuzu dragged Hidan behind me.

We sat down in a meadow.

"So Hidan… Do you know a place like this?"

Hidan read the scroll and frowned, "I am NOT going there."

Kakuzu and I looked up. "Eh?"

"They ransacked the temple there after the lake dried up and built my old village."

Interested, I asked, "So you are just too scared to go?"

He looked annoyed. "I don't want to."

~Later, at the village~

"Hidan my little snookums came back~!"

Hidan groaned as an old lady hugged him to her. "You've gotten so big and strong! Jashin must be so proud!"

The following reply was very childish and whiny: "Aunt Petunia! You're embarrassing me in front of my friends!"

I tried to keep from laughing, but Kakuzu and Hidan's new worst enemy was way too funny.

And so our tour of this new village began.

"So, this is the old temple?"

Hidan nodded. "They moved all of the old items into a secret basement… but we'll still have to sneak in."

Aura opened the door from the inside. "Hey! Everyone's asleep!"

Hidan cursed, "Why is it always me?!"

We walked inside and marched up the stairs and to a secret passageway.

We slid down it and into the basement.

Hidan groaned, "Please tell me they didn't!"

The basement had been turned into a breakfast house.

"Oh my gawd…"

And so Hidan was forced to think of where they would send a bell.

"The other temples were burned. I can't think of any place they would go."

"That's because you are an idiot."

"WELL YOU'RE A JASHIN HATING FREAK!"

"WELL YOU'RE A JASHIN LOVING FREAK!"

"YOU!" "YOU!"

I sighed and looked out a little window, "It's going to rain soon… Is there anywhere we can stay?"

Hidan glared at me. "We are NOT staying in the village. You haven't even MET uncle Bob yet."

We all chuckled.

Aura smiled, "Well, my Sensei lives near here! She'll give us a place to stay! Oh Morgan, you'll love it! You'll never want to leave with these men ever again!"

I ignored that and we followed her.

~90 minutes later~

"YOU LIVE NEAR A GRAVEYARD?!"

She nodded with a grin and knocked on the door, "Sensei! We have guests!"

An old woman with a cane hobbled out the door.

She laid her eyes on Hidan and shouted, "A Jashinest! How dirty!"

Hidan groaned, "I see where she gets it now."

We all followed her inside the house. I was getting MAJOR creep vibes from the tombs. *shudder* *whisper: I see dead people… Kinda…* LOL! I love this chapter~!


	59. Chapter 59

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 59**

*Broom over head* "OW WOMAN!"

"I'LL TEACH YOU SOME MANNERS, JASHIN LOVER!"

Hidan ran around the room as the old woman bashed him over the head with a broom.

"OW! OW! THAT *BEEPING HURTS!"

Kakuzu and I sipped tea. Surprisingly, the old woman was very okay with his stitches. Then again, he seemed surprised that I was okay with them.

Aura had wrapped my torso with new bandages.

With a foot I was tapping a rhythm out of nothing.

"I'm so BORED!" I whined.

Kakuzu looked out of the window. "It doesn't look like it's gonna stop any time soon."

I sighed and asked, "How many days is this now?"

"Tomorrow will be our 4th day."

I groaned and fell over on the couch.

Kakuzu rolled his eyes at me, "Go play in the rain or something."

I stuck my tongue out at him and smirked, "Hey, Lady-san! Kakuzu said he was a Jashin lover!"

The woman rushed over with her broom and beat him over the head.

Hidan laughed and the woman turned and whacked him.

Kakuzu laughed at Hidan and received a whack.

That went on for ten minutes.

The woman was going back and forth.

I cheered with each whack, "Whack a dork! Yeah! Hit 'em hard! Ahahaha!"

Hidan and Kakuzu both caught the broom at the same instant and shouted, "WILL YOU STOP THAT, WOMAN?!"

She lowered the broom away from their heads and moved to walk away.

They looked all "Hah I so won that!"…

Mrs. Old Lady Person smirked at me and winked.

She swung in a circle and the broom handle hit both of them in bad place, and they fell over groaning.

I collapsed laughing and the three of us, Mrs. Old Lady Person, Aura, and me, high-fived.

~Dinner~

"Hey Hidan, pass the bowl."

"Why should I?"

The Old Lady smacked Hidan with a wooden spoon.

"Manners, boy!"

Hidan looked humiliated, "Yes ma'am."

She looked happy and he passed the bowl.

Kakuzu chuckled and the lady smirked as she poured noodles all over his head.

Heheheheheh…

~Sleep Time~

Hidan grabbed my arm and stated, "We are NOT staying here. We will camp outside."

Aura tackled him over, "SHE WILL NOT!"

Old lady ascended from the ceiling and stomped Hidan's forehead, "PWNED!"

This old lady ROCKS!

So we ended up staying in the house.

Kakuzu and Hidan stayed in the basement. (Infested with spiders of course)

I stayed with Aura in her room.

~Breakfast~

"Aaaaagh…" Hidan and Kakuzu groaned as they plopped down in the kitchen.

"What happened to you?!" I asked.

Hidan had HUGE bags under his eyes and Kakuzu was paler than usual.

Kakuzu looked at me in disbelief, "Didn't you HEAR that all night?!"

Hidan face-planted into his porridge.

Old Lady-san lowered her spoon and smiled in victory.

Bubbles came out from the porridge and I pulled his head up and lowered it onto a napkin.

"What kind of sound, Kakuzu?"

He groaned, "A bell… It was so… annoying… It was so low it was like groaning…"

I frowned, "A bell? Where?"

He sighed, "Outside the window."

I stood and started walking outside with them.

I hesitated at the door before heading back to the kitchen, thinking better of leaving Hidan alone with the old lady.

I threw him over my shoulder and walked back outside. Old Lady-san looked disappointed.

I dumped Hidan in a hole for a grave and began to look around.

"So, was it from up high or down low?"

"Like it was RIGHT outside the window." Kakuzu stated.

I walked over to the window.

"Hey, Aura?" I asked.

She popped up at my side, "Yeah?"

"How long have you lived here?" I ask in a confused tone.

She seemed to stop and think about it. "Not for a very long time, but I'd ask *insert Old Lady's name here*."

I nodded and walked to the door to ask.

"How long have I lived here? Well, ever since I was girl I've lived here. It used to be an old temple for HIS kind."

Hidan's head shot up from the grave hole. "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes and asked, "Did this used to be on a lake?"

She frowned, "Yes… The walls were rotted out in my grandmother's generation thanks to the mold. We kept reinforcing them over and over again. The place used to be quite large."

I looked to the half-awake Jashinest. "YOU SAID THE OLD TEMPLE WAS MADE OVER THE VILLAGE!"

He jerked up and shouted in half-asleep confusion, "I DID NOT KISS KAKUZU AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY!"

"Well, no comment on that but…"

I walked back over to the wall. "So… if this was the real old temple… then the bell might be here!"

Aura looked confused, "A bell?"

I nodded, "We're looking for an ancient and legendary bell that can control demons."

She frowned, "Well, it is said people can hear bells in the cemetery… but they say it moves location a lot."

I sighed. "It moves a lot and seems to float in the air."

Everyone looked up as an old couple walked into the graveyard.

Old Lady-san darted over to them. "You've come again? Your daughter would be very happy!"

The two people walked past us. "We come three times a day! She died too young, of course…"

As they walked by and saw the Jashin sign on Hidan's chest, they both smacked him over the back of his head.

"OW! DANG YOU PEOPLE!"

I smirked and walked over to them.

"Excuse me… but do you ever hear a bell when you come?"

They stared at me. "You look… just like our daughter…"

I blinked. "Eh?"

They had huge smiles, "You resemble her quite a lot!"

I frowned, "That's very nice and all, but have you heard a bell here before?"

"Doesn't she look like Maya, Stan?"

"Why yes, Susan! She looks just like her!"

"Excuse me… sir… ma'am… the bell?"

"Ah yes… we have heard a bell haven't we, Hal?"

"Wasn't his name Stan?"

"No, it's John!"

Uhhh… …

Anyway…

"We hear a bell quite often! But I was told when I was young that a ghost carries it!"

My eye twitched and I looked back to Kakuzu, "Gh-ghost?"

He rolled his eyes and asked, "Where have you heard it?"

The old man smiled and pointed to the grave in front of us.

"Here."

The old woman pointed to the ground beside her, "And here."

They pointed everywhere around us.

I sighed and asked, "From the ground?"

They smiled, "No."

That doesn't make sense!


	60. Chapter 60

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 60**

"Close your eyes, Hidan. Itachi would kill us both."

"We can't die, remember?"

"Oh yeah… you can look, then."

"Why is Morgan in a Kimono again?"

"Those two old people refused to tell us about the bell if she didn't."

"Isn't that blackmail?"

"Well, we can't kill them, can we?"

"We can threaten them."

"They're too old to care."

"Can we sick the old bat on them?"

"No."

"Aw come on, Kakuzu!"

"I wouldn't wish that lady on anyone."

"Then why is she serving them tea?"

"You know… I'm not really sure."

"Um, excuse me you two… but why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah Morgan!"

"We weren't watching you!"

"Uh-huh… Hey, Aura!"

"SHH! SHE WILL KILL US!"

"Well quit being pervs!"

"I vote we get out of the speaking back and forth thing."

"Oh yeah~! I agree!"

~My POV~

Well after THAT strange conversation…

"How do you like your tea?"

The old couple smiled at me and then looked at the STILL spying boys.

"Are they just going to stare at you like that?"

I sighed and turned to glare at them. "What is so weird about me?!"

The old man laughed, "You look very good in it~!"

Aura walked by and whacked him with a spatula.

I blushed and looked away. "Um… yeah… So about that bell…"

"He's still staring at you, dear… That old one with the white hair has a nose bleed."

"HIDAN KEEP YOURS EYES TO YOURSELF!"

"WELL THEN DON'T WEAR THOSE KINDS OF CLOTHES!"

"WELL YOU SLEEP WITH A TEDDY BEAR AT NIGHT!"

Hidan gasped like a girl. "You DID take Snuffles!"

"Oi… Idiot."

Kakuzu chuckled, "You sleep with a teddy bear?"

"HE'S AN ACTION FIGURE!"

I sighed, "He's a bear."

He teared up and sniffed hard, "Don't pick on me!"

The old couple laughed at us and I went back to serving tea.

"Your attitude is different from our daughter's!"

I smiled, "That is the beauty of nature~!"

"Could you lower your shoulders and talk more quietly?"

"Um… yes?"

I did as they asked and smiled slightly.

Aura sat down beside me, "Could you please tell us about the bell?"

The old couple smiled, "As soon as this dear does the dance Maya used to!"

I groaned.

~Thirty minutes of learning later~

"I feel rather stupid."

Aura beamed, "You look so cool!"

Kakuzu could be heard screaming, "ITACHI WILL FIND A WAY TO KILL US! LOOK AWAY, HIDAN!"

"I CAN'T! I'M GOING TO THE DARK SIDE!"

"DAMMIT HIDAN! THEY DON'T HAVE ANY COOKIES!"

I sighed, "I'm going to sell them on eBay."

"What's eBay?"

"Eh… um… It's a place where you sell things."

They nodded. "The dance, please…"

I sighed and moved my hips in that RIDICULOUS manner.

Aura walked out of the room Hidan and Kakuzu had been in with bloody hands.

"They'll wake up later~!"

I sighed and moved on into more of the old people's blackmail…

~Hidan and Kakuzu at a later time when they wake up~

Hidan and Kakuzu gaped at Morgan.

She bowed low and murmured, "It is so lovely to see you again, Mother… Father you look wonderful today."

Hidan pointed and shouted, "THEY ARE YOUR PARENTS?!"

She turned and frowned, "Mother, who is this man? He wears the Jashin crest on his chest."

Hidan gaped, "SHE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE ME!"

The old man cooed, "He's after your heart, dearest!"

Morgan stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid. "Oh go *deleted bad phrase*!"

Hidan's cheeks heated up, "YOU ARE SO DEAD MORGAN!"

She frowned, "Who is Morgan? My name is Maya."

She turned away, taking the old people's arms and leading them out the door.

Hidan just stood there pointing after her.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" he demanded.

Kakuzu sighed before seeming to realize something. He turned to look at Hidan, trembling and with a horrified expression.

"ITACHI IS GOING TO KILL US!"

They panicked and ran into each other, falling on the floor.

Aura walked back inside, "Hey, that old lady said the bell was in a hole, but it's not… where is Morgan?"

"She was calling the old people Mother and Father a lot and just left."

Aura gaped. "SHE WAS DOING WHAT?!"

She walked around in circles, "Well, I knew the kimono was possessed but it didn't seem to have anything against Morgan… I thought she'd be fine but it seems to have taken over…"

"Who's taken over?"

"Maya has."

"Who is Maya?"

"Those two people's daughter."

"Oh yeah… Wait so some other chick was wearing that kimono when she died?"

"Well yeah."

"HOLY CRAP MORGAN IS POSSESED!"

(If this offends ANY of you… LIVE. WITH. IT.)

~An hour later~

"So… now what?" Hidan asked.

Aura leaned against the wall in thought. The old lady had gone to the store to buy a new broom to beat the boys up with.

Kakuzu sipped on tea. "Well, we have to go get Morgan at some point."

"Where do they live anyway?"

"How should I know?"

"Good point… "

"Let's wait until I feel like saving her."

"Okay."

~Fast forward to when they care~

The three all walked together in the woods.

"They went this way."

"How do you know, Aura?"

"I see ghosts!"

"Weirdo."

"AM NOT!"


	61. Chapter 61

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 61**

~Hidan, Kakuzu, and Aura~

Hidan had absolutely NO idea what the heck Morgan was doing. Who was that… guy?!

Kakuzu nudged him from the bushes and muttered, "They seem pretty close…"

Aura looked at Morgan from behind her bush.

"Who is he?" Hidan asked quietly.

Aura grimaced, "Maya's fiancé."

Both Kakuzu and Hidan gaped at her.

"But he's so UGLY! Why would she like HIM?!"

"Man, Itachi must be going straight downhill or something…"

"Dang… To think this guy beats him… ew."

Kakuzu nodded in agreement.

Aura ignored them and stated, "I… can read these things… she loves him."

"BUT HE'S GOT TO BE OLDER THAN KAKUZU!" Hidan shouted in frustration and confusion.

Kakuzu hit him over the back of the head, "DON'T MAKE ME KILL YOU, BRAT!"

Everyone in the villa turned and looked at them.

Morgan/Maya frowned and demanded, "Who are you people?! Just leave us alone!"

Hidan jumped out of the bushes and pointed angrily at Morgan, "You are coming with us whether you like it or not! I will break every bone in your body if I have to."

He shouldn't have put it that way.

The three fell back when things turned nasty and formed a huddle to talk.

-Definition of Nasty: Morgan turned red and smoke came out her ears. She then began to chuck rocks the size of houses at them-

Hidan: So what are we supposed to do?!

Kakuzu: She's possessed… what can we do?

Aura: We have to beat the living crap out of the spirit.

Hidan: So we attack Morgan?

Kakuzu: I don't see a problem with that.

Aura: Then let's do it!

Hidan: There is one problem… Morgan has that one jutsu that might-

Kakuzu: *slams hand over Hidan's mouth* Let HER go first.

Hidan: *smirks* Go on, Aura.

You all just know Hidan just ADORED the plan…

Aura jumped out at Morgan/Maya from the bushes.

"Be gone, SPIRIT!"

Morgan/Maya turned and glared as Aura attacked with… a staff.

She ducked under the attack and smirked.

Aura managed to touch Morgan/Maya's forehead and shouted, "CAST OFF THE DEMONS!"

A voice, slightly different from Morgan's, was heard saying, "Nice try… but I won't leave this body so easily!"

Aura glared as a chakra spike shot up between her feet.

She flipped backwards and up into a tree.

Hidan jumped out of the bushes with his scythe. "Alright! I'm so ready for a fight!"

Morgan pushed that old man away and ducked under the scythe.

The blade detached from the shaft and flew towards her from behind.

A chakra spike shot up behind her and destroyed the scythe.

"That was my favorite scythe too!" Hidan wailed.

Kakuzu walked into view. Three heart monsters walked out from behind him.

(They remind me of the imaginary things in "Fosters House for Imaginary Friends" that babies imagine up… Heheh…)

Morgan/Maya frowned and spikes shot at the three monsters.

The fire heart leaped to the roof of the house to escape it.

The spike stopped short and Kakuzu chuckled. "She's not going to attack anything from her old life!"

Hidan smirked and ran at the old man.

Aura flipped at Morgan.

A flurry of thorn spikes tangled into a bush around her and the man.

Kakuzu leaped down with a flurry of lightning, ripping a hole in the bush.

Morgan could be heard screaming as he jumped into the hole.

The thorns cleared away to show Kakuzu pierced through the heart by a spike.

Hidan sighed, "So ironic, don't you think?"

Aura stopped mid attack, looking at him in confusion.

"The ghost is having trouble controlling these spikes, so it's making Morgan's body work too hard to try and compensate… but Morgan's body seems used to this abuse, like it's done it forever…"

Kakuzu cursed as another heart replaced his old and he stood again, "That's because she DOES use it all the time. Of course she's used to the abuse!"

Hidan chuckled under his breath, "She uses it for evil but still…"

Kakuzu tapped his chin in thought for a moment, "With great power comes the responsibility to kick butt."

Aura glared at them, "She's abused her power?!"

Hidan rolled his eyes, "How do you think she got all banged up in the first place?!"

Aura frowned, "Banged up? Oh… I forgot that she was injured when I found you… but…"

She turned to stare at Morgan.

"Her aura is clean. She isn't hurt anymore."

The two men rolled their eyes. OF COURSE Morgan was FINE! She NEVER had to deal with the pain! Why does MORGAN get that privilege! We get hurt too!

Kakuzu attacked Morgan again as he aimed for the man she was protecting.

Hidan shouted at Aura as he ran towards Morgan, "She's Akatsuki! She can heal faster than anyone else in our organization! When we got her she was Swiss cheese!"

Aura frowned, "So she really is Akatsuki."

"AKATSUKI IS GOING TO BE DOWN TWO MORE PEOPLE IF YOU DON'T GET THAT SPIRIT OUT!"

Aura frowned as she studied Morgan.

"Morgan won't attack the house, so if she attacks you, flee there!"

Hidan nodded and jumped to the roof to evade a spike.

Morgan screamed mid-attack and veered away from him and towards Kakuzu.

As Kakuzu and Hidan were being watched by the furious ghost, Aura managed to capture the man.

Morgan turned in a hissing frenzy. Her face was distorted with anger and frustration.

"WHY CAN'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE?"

Aura landed in front of her, still holding the man.

"You can't take another person's body!"

Maya glared, "Why not?! I died young too! Why should she live and I not?!"

'I wonder what she'd do if I told her I killed kids her age all the time…?' Hidan thought to himself.

Kakuzu was thinking too, 'Mm… waffles…'

Aura looked to the man in her grasp, "You loved this man, right? When you were alive you loved him."

Maya looked desperate, "Give him back to me!"

Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged a smirk, 'Itachi would die if he knew she liked this old fart.'

Aura looked at the man, who looked sad, before releasing him.

He stepped closer to her and stated, "I was trying to tell you… I understand you came back for me but… I am married now… I got over you."

"NO! IT IS A LIE!"

Aura shook her head, "He married. He thought it was what you would have wanted."

The man nodded and Maya seemed to writhe in pain.

"That is only more reason for this girl to die here!"

Hidan sighed, "Better get Itachi a good word in… So you want her to leave the one who loves her now right?"

Maya seemed to falter. "Someone… loves her?"

"It would be the same pain you feel… only she might have ended better."

Maya looked down to her feet. Her hands curled around the fabric at her chest.

"It hurt so much… I couldn't see them… I couldn't hold my loved ones… I wanted to see them so much… But now that I have the chance…"

Aura shook her head again, a soft smile forming on her lips. "You can pass on, now… You will make your loved ones feel relief to know you are safe in a better place, Maya!"

Hidan sighed, "Jashin… I wonder how many people it will take to make up for not killing Morgan right now…"

Maya smiled slightly and looked to the house where the old couple, her parents, stood.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

She smiled then and laughed. "I am such an idiot!"

Kakuzu nodded, "Yep."

She looked down at her hands in thought.

"The girl I am using now… She is a ninja, right?"

Hidan nodded.

"She has good friends like you to come after her…"

Hidan chuckled, "Yeah… Right…" Kakuzu snickered, "Suuuuuuure…"

Aura glared at them.

Everyone waited nervously for Maya to say something, anything as she stood silently for a moment.

Maya finally turned to the three old people and smiled, "Then… this is goodbye! I will pass on quietly now… See you on the other side!"

Aura walked over to her. "May I help you pass on?"

"Would you please?"

Aura pressed two fingers to Morgan's head, and the ghost seemed to sigh as she faded from Morgan's body.

Aura didn't have to shout "CAST OUT THE DEMON" this time~!

Morgan fell limply into Aura's arms.

The priest set her on the ground and looked up to the old couple.

~Morgan's POV~

I opened my eyes as the couple came closer.

I remembered all the things that had happened with Maya and frowned.

I looked up to Aura and smiled, "Thanks…"

She frowned slightly before breaking into a beaming grin.

"We owe you so much, children!"

Everyone's eye twitched… We killed your daughter's leftover spirit you could have kept and you thank us?

"Maya was the type to never want to pass on! You children are wonderful!" The man added with a laugh.

I frowned and stated, "She was so lonely… I can still feel her emotions… She stayed inside that kimono for a long time…"

'I hope they washed it…' I added silently.

The couple laughed, "It was to be her wedding gown!"

I blushed and look down at the now matted, dirty cloth, "I am so sorry!"

The smiled, "It is fine, child!"

Aura grimaced and turned to look at them, "But why didn't you just bring the cloth to me in the first place? I could have done the exorcism right then! Morgan wouldn't have been involved!"

The couple smiled and pressed a finger to their lips.

"We forgot~!"

Everyone anime fell.

"Oh, and… as for that bell you were asking about. Take the thing… so annoying."

The feeling in the air suddenly turned dark. A dark aura around the old couple seemed to reach for the three of us. My body felt as if it was being flushed down a toilet, and I closed my eyes.

The feeling lasted for several moments.

I groaned and opened my eyes as it finally stopped.

"What the?!"

We were all lying on top of one another in a grave hole. And we were all in very uncomfortable positions…

Hidan was on the very bottom. I was lying on his chest with my arms around his neck. EW.

Aura's stomach was on my back with her feet in Hidan's face.

Kakuzu had an elbow in Aura's back and a foot in my side.

We all screamed as we scrambled for the top of the hole.

We rolled out onto the ground, breathing hard.

We gaped at the sight around us.

We were back in the graveyard Aura lived in. We had all been lying in that hole I had tossed Hidan in after he fell asleep at breakfast!

I gaped and looked at the sun. "It's only noon!"

Everyone seemed shocked.

"You mean we DREAMED that?!"

I gasped. "LOOK!"

Hidan looked down, and in his hand was the bell.

"HOLY CRAP!"

We all shuffled closer together and huddled in front of Hidan to look at it.

Just then the two old people's voices laughed in the air, "Now we can all be together in heaven… all four of us… forever. Thanks for the help!"

I screamed. Hidan screamed. Kakuzu screamed. Aura screamed.

We all took turns just screaming at each other.

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the bell.

"Let's get out of here!"

Hidan grabbed my arm and began dragging me as fast as he can.

Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's arm, which was holding my arm, dragging us as fast as he can.

"Where are you going!? Don't leave me!" Aura shouted.

"I am so gone!" I shouted as Kakuzu dragged us further away.

"Wait for meeeeeeeeee!"


	62. Chapter 62

Author-chan: Okay well the series is doing well again! ^^ No one seemed to like the plot. Ah well… The next bit of plot won't take place for some time! Not to mention the Hidan-Kakuzu saga is almost over… Next, I have decided, will be the "Unwanted" saga which features Pein, Konan, Kisame, Morgan, Itachi, …and 500 angry villagers. ^^ I can hardly wait to start! Lol… Anyway… Let's get the last chapter in the Hidan-Kakuzu Saga over with~!

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 62**

We were all sitting in a circle around the black bell. Hidan was closest, and Aura was staring at it as we all tried to figure out how to make it WORK. The bell seemed to be so thick and rusted that the ball wouldn't move.

Kakuzu was afraid he'd break it, and the rust remover Hidan used for his scythe had 0 effect.

Aura was absolutely astounded that it refused to work.

I was shoved out and not allowed to touch it.

I sighed and asked, "So it's supposed to do what again?"

"It's supposed to ring and control demons."

"Is it a pretty sound?"

"Well we can't exactly HEAR it to find out, can we?"

I rolled my eyes, "Can I see it?"

They sighed and FINALLY let me touch it.

I placed my hands on the black and smiled slightly.

It felt kind of familiar…

I lifted it into my hands and shook it.

"Hm… It really is stuck."

Hidan smirked. "I knew you couldn't do it either!"

I looked at the huge metal loop on the top and smiled ever so slightly.

I quickly shed my cloak and tied it through the loop.

I hung the bell from a tree and backed away.

As soon as my hands were off of the metal, the most eerie sound I'd ever heard met my ears.

I screamed and launched myself at Aura, who covered her ears and jumped at Kakuzu, who hit a tree.

Hidan looked sick. "This bell sounds like crap!"

I groaned. "Take it DOWN!"

I was still twitching on the ground even after Hidan moved it to the ground.

Aura's ears were bleeding and Kakuzu looked sick.

Just then we all heard a sound from the bushes.

We looked up as a three headed lion bursts out. "MUSIC!"

We screamed and latched our arms around one another as twenty more demons surrounded us.

We finally jumped to our feet and took off running in separate directions.

~Hidan~

He jumped over a giant rock and spun around to face the monsters.

"BRING IT ON!"

He tripped backwards over a tree root and fell on his butt.

Paws landed on his chest and he looked up in shock.

A tiny kitten the size of his palm sat there looking at him like he was her next meal.

Hidan stood and held the cat up by the scruff.

"How the heck are you supposed to scare anyone?"

She meowed and tried as hard as she could to claw his face.

"Nice… loser cat," he smirked.

The cat strained to beat him up but failed epically.

"So you're a demon, eh?" he sneered.

The kitten flattened her ears and screamed,, "I AM GONNA WRIP YEW TO PIECES!"

Hidan laughed insanely. "You are gonna beat me?"

She hissed and Hidan sighed, "Go bug someone your own size."

The cat smirked as Hidan set her down.

As he turned away, the cat grew to the size of a car and tackled him.

He screamed in fright like a little girl, "GOOD LORD JASHIN!"

The cat stopped and twitched. "Jashin-sama? You work for Jashin-sama?"

Hidan growled, "Heck yes I do!"

The cat licked Hidan's ENTIRE body with her tongue.

"I like you more and more! Let's play!"

"I am not your toy, you over sized fur ball!"

"Hidan-chan tastes like honey~!"

"CATS DON'T EAT HONEY!"

"Hidan-chan is so kawaii! You can be my pet forever, kay?"

"GOOD LORD HELP ME!"

~Kakuzu~

Kakuzu positioned himself in a tree and scanned the area for demons.

Someone tapped on his shoulder.

"I don't have time for this, Morgan."

The person poked him harder.

"AURA, GET AWAY!"

He spun around flailing his arms and saw what was poking him.

A tiny little thing that resembled a bunny floated in midair with tiny little angel wings.

"Oh… um… you're cute?"

It seemed to smirk just as its head enlarged until it swallowed Kakuzu's torso in one bite.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!"

~Aura~

She was rather busy killing demons as the others ran away.

"Where did they go?"

She sighed and looked around at the seventeen dead demons.

"Ah well… I'd better go find the others…"

~Morgan~

You know those weird dreams where animals talk and wear clothes? Yeah, this seemed like one of those…

A horse… standing on its hind legs… and wearing a pantsuit… was talking to me.

He kept repeating, "Late for work… need to go to work… *mumble* Work, work, work…"

I felt my eye twitch, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

He sighed, "I am on schedule to go eat a couple villagers at noon, but I heard this pretty music and came running… Now I'm late to the meeting."

"Where are you going?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Konoha…"

I smiled and pointed in a random direction, "That way for a few miles~!"

He turned and began to walk away, and I skewered him with a chakra spike. Freaky talking horse-thing…

~Aura and Kakuzu~

Aura: …

Kakuzu: *Somewhere in the bunny's digestive track*

Aura: How did this happen?

Kakuzu: *can be heard through stomach acid* THIS PLACE IS HUGE!

Aura: *sigh* Why don't you just bust your way out?

Kakuzu: I'm stuck in a genjutsu and my chakra is being sucked out so fast I can't release it.

Aura: Hold still, idiot.

Kakuzu: *mumbles* I hate bunnies.

~10 min later~

Kakuzu: I hate bunnies.

Aura: *annoyed* Let's go find the others…

Kakuzu: Whatever.

~Hidan~

Aura: *sweat drop* Why are you wearing that?

Hidan: *dancing on a giant table in the middle of nowhere wearing a dress* THIS CAT IS MAKING ME!

Kakuzu: *takes video for future blackmail* Heheheheh…

Cat: Hidan-chan is mine~!

Morgan: Whoa… what the heck?

Aura: Hidan and Kakuzu are idiots… What happened to your demon?

Morgan: I killed it.

Hidan: SAVE ME!

Everyone else: Why?

Hidan: *tears* PLEASE?!

Cat: Hidan-chan is mine!

Morgan: You're a cat, right? I have an idea… you like horse meat?

Cat: Yes?

Morgan: About ten minutes in that direction is a carcass. I'll trade it for Hidan.

Cat: DEAL!

~Back to the clearing~

I sighed and asked, "Do we HAVE to bring the bell?"

Hidan gagged, "I vote we bury it so deep in the ground we never see it again."

Kakuzu nodded in agreement.

Aura frowned, "But…"

We all looked to her. "You want to keep it?"

She nodded vigorously, "It's great training!"

Hidan sighed, "Then TAKE it. Now I know why the old people gave it AWAY… So annoying."

I chuckled, "Kakuzu… do you have that video?"

"Yep~!"

We giggled and watched it.

Hidan groaned.

Aura smiled, "Well then… you guys will be leaving now, right?"

We all nodded.

She tackled me over in tears.

"I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH!"

I blinked. "I'll miss you too?"

Hidan coughed loudly, "I won't!"

Kakuzu glared, "Just take it and go!"

Aura sighed and we shook hands.

"We'll keep in touch. And if you ever make it to Konoha… say hi to some people for me…"

"I will…"

We both turned away awkwardly and started back down the road.

-!-

 **New picture added to Pinterest: 'Black Ice - banner no. 7'**

 **And I thought I'd add this note to clear up any confusion. Whenever there's a note that starts off 'Author-chan' or something like that, it's from the original story. That's not me talking; I talk down here at the bottom, usually about pictures and updates :)**


	63. Chapter 63

Author-chan: Well, here we are… in the Unwanted Saga~! Let's get a move on, shall we?

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 63**

I walked higher and higher up the hill to the next meeting place. Hidan and Kakuzu were quiet as they slowed the pace slightly.

The sun shined in my eyes just as we reached the top.

A voice I recognized stated, "You are right on time."

I raised my hand up and shielded my eyes so I could see my new partners for the next week.

Konan smiled at me and I darted over to her side. Pein smirked and crossed his arms. "It's nice to see you, too."

I beamed at them and turned to Hidan and Kakuzu.

"You can go now! I don't need you anymore!"

Hidan smirked, "Don't I feel loved."

Kakuzu nodded, "Grateful isn't she?"

I smiled at them and Hidan smiled.

Hidan pulled his arms up behind his head as he turned to leave.

Kakuzu tossed Pein a scroll, nodding before following after Hidan, "See ya."

The two left and I smiled to my new teammates.

Pein was reading the scroll and Konan was filing her nails.

Pein sighed, "So, the bell was of no use to us?"

"Not really…"

They smiled ever so slightly and stated, "We must return to the village."

I nodded and followed them with a smiled. They were so much CALMER than the others. It was so relaxing…

After a while of my smiling at the sun, Pein spoke. "We are meeting another team in the village just ahead of us. We will stay the night there."

I nodded with a frown, "Which team?"

"You'll see," Konan answered.

I smiled brightly and cooed, "That's great!"

Pein smirked ever so slightly and continued on.

I soaked in the sun as we entered a field and walked in the open air. The trees had felt rather claustrophobic for a while now.

Flowers dotted the area and I stopped to pick the little weedy flowers, weaving them into a chain necklace to dispel the boredom edging in.

The thing was a half mile long when we finally reached the village.

I handed the end to a little girl and darted away to catch up to Pein and Konan.

The girl began to reel it in. (After an hour of pulling she began to think it was possessed and cursed and ran away crying to her mommy… )

We stopped outside of a Ryokan. The shade was cool and refreshing after walking in the sun, and I smiled happily.

Just then, two people moved into view.

I pointed at Kisame and shouted, "OMG IT'S YOU!"

I tackled him in a hug.

Itachi was standing there with one arm stretched out toward her and a look on his face like this: **(Pinterest picture 'Chapter 63')**

"I missed you guys!"

Pein watched us with a smirk, "Are you going to stay with them, then?"

I frowned and tapped my chin, "I don't know… Do you think I should, Itachi-sensei?"

Itachi resumed his emotionless face. "Don't call me that."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. "Alright, alright…"

I smiled to Kisame again and asked, "So what are you guys here for?"

Pein replied for them. "They finished their mission and we came to discuss it."

I nodded and asked, "Where are we staying?"

"You three are staying in the room they rented."

I beamed, "Kisame, we can have a sleep over!"

I was only kidding but Itachi looked annoyed.

I laughed nervously and quieted down. *slinks away into the shadows until the "grown-ups" are done talking*

Itachi looked to me and asked, "Can she just stay with you?"

"She is unwanted in our room."

I frowned. Aren't I loved?

I sighed and asked, "Where is our room? I seriously need a shower."

Itachi turned his back to me and replied, "Follow us…"

~Kisame's POV~

Every time Itachi turned away from Morgan, his cheeks tinted red.

I remembered when I had gotten the message from Pein about the meeting. Itachi had gotten really upset and began to run around the room and dress funny. I guess a guy in love would dress up a little, but a tux was a bit over the top…

I smirked as Pein told us Morgan would room with us. Itachi literally had a nose bleed.

^=.=^

~My POV~

The room was rather… messy.

I smiled to the guys, "Sensei, can you go and get me a drink with the money in my bag? Please?"

He took my bag and darted out of the room.

I turned to Kisame and demanded, "Are those Itachi's boxers on that chair?"

Kisame looked and nodded.

I smirked and moved towards them.

Kisame looked shocked and asked, "What about the shower?!"

I sighed and waved my hand at him. "Yeah, yeah…"

I frowned and made five clones. We all dashed around, cleaning the room.

As soon as everything was spotless, they disappeared.

Kisame chuckled, "Couldn't take the mess?"

"Nope."

I sighed and walked inside the bathroom to shower.

~Itachi and Kisame~

Itachi returned with half the contents of a drink machine in his arms. "Where did she go?"

Kisame hit the back of his partner's head. "Concentrate, idiot. She just wanted you to leave."

"Hn?"

"She was bothered by your boxers."

It took him several moments to process that. "Oh… "

Kisame sighed. (I know Itachi is out of character… it will be fixed soon.)

Itachi sighed. "Am I really being that weird?"

Kisame nodded and his partner's eyes flashed slightly.

"Then I will become less emotional."

Kisame nodded in agreement as Itachi's face froze over with emotionlessness.

He seemed to realize something and stated, "I need to get my extra cloak out of the bathroom."

Kisame tried to stop him, but the Uchiha had already entered the bathroom.

~Itachi~

Uh-oh.

He froze up as he heard the water.

He began to turn back for the door, pausing as he heard Morgan's voice.

"Itachi-sensei is so weird. One second he's mean and the next second he's blank…"

He stopped moving and pressed himself to the counter as he listened for more.

"His boxers are cool, though."

Itachi's eyes widened as her shadow moved in the shower.

She sighed, "He's kinda hot, too…"

Itachi's face heated up, and he moved quickly towards the bathroom door.

Just as he did, Morgan stuck her hand out from the curtain and reached for a towel.

Itachi was RIGHT in harm's way.

He basically shoved the towel into her arms and lunged to dart out the door…

He twisted in a puddle of water and slipped.

He gasped slightly as he fell straight into the shower.

The curtain wrapped around Morgan and she was thrown into the tub with Itachi on top of her.

She couldn't see his face and just kept screaming in shock.

Itachi, now soaking wet from the water, managed to scramble from the tub and escape into the room.

Pein raised an eyebrow at the soaked Itachi.

Konan smirked, "Go Itachi!"

Kisame facepalmed.

Itachi ducked into the closet and slammed the door shut behind him.

Morgan darted out from the bathroom in her tank top and short shorts.

"THERE WAS A PERVERT IN THE BATHROOM! DID HE COME THROUGH HERE?!"

Konan glanced to the closet and smirked, "He went out the door."

Morgan nodded and sprinted out the door. "COME BACK HERE YOU PERVERTED FREAK!"

Kisame opened the closet and Itachi fell to the ground.

"What did you do?"

"Don't ask… It was an accident…"

Kisame sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Well… continue, Pein…"

The meeting resumed.

~Around midnight~

I trudged back into the room after complaining to every maid and cook in the Ryokan. I also got three free meals to apologize for the incident.

I looked up to see Itachi and Kisame staring at me.

I smiled slightly in exhaustion, "Which bed is mine?"

Kisame pointed to the one on the right.

I collapsed on it and practically passed out from exhaustion.

~Morning~

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Pein and Konan were waiting for me at the gate.

I turned and waved to Itachi and Kisame.

Itachi just turned and began to walk away. Kisame sighed and walked over to me.

"Here… you REALLY need to read this."

I opened the note and saw that the 'message' was in some sort of code. I have NEVER been good with codes.

Kisame winked and chuckled, "You'll have plenty of time to translate it in the village."

I smiled and nodded. "See you soon!"

He nodded.

I smirked, "And if you ever figure out who attacked me in the shower… please tell him he has officially made it on my enemies list."

Kisame sweat-dropped and I turned to catch up with my new teammates.

-!-

 **New picture added to Pinterest: Black Ice Chapter 63**


	64. Chapter 64

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 64**

Now you would think traveling with the leader of Akatsuki would be fun, right? Well… it's really boring. All he does is whisper to Konan and glance at you every five seconds like you were a criminal… oh wait… I am~! Never mind!

Having enough of trying to interact with them, I gave up and turned my attention to the letter Kisame had given me before leaving.

It consisted of three letter-like thingies that resembled pictures. After a while of staring, I decided on what they vaguely looked like.

The first picture reminded me of a claw. The second letter/picture was a crown with a shovel sticking out of it. Letter number three was like an upside down ice cream cone. With it being Kisame's art… it sucked.

I sighed and returned it to the backpack I was carrying.

Pein suddenly spoke to me, "We have arrived."

I glanced up and saw the towering city ahead. My mouth stayed shut seeing as I had already had my once-in-a-lifetime-for-a-country-girl-visit to New York… but the buildings seemed even larger than New York.

Pein stopped just before the gates and stated, "Follow me."

~Top of the tower at noon the next day~

I lay on the edge with my legs hanging off into the air. My elbows propped up my head, giving me a small amount of comfort.

Pein and Konan were inside working on whatever they had to do, ignoring me.

Twelve hours of being unwanted was enough to make anyone consider jumping off this building… Ah well… they'll be done in a few days.

I retrieved the letter from my pocket. From reading some stupid books in the tower, I discovered that the 'claw' was actually some animal's paw print, maybe a ferret. That didn't help me at all, but seeing as Kisame's art remind me of a seven year old's… it was most likely meant to be something else.

I sighed just as Pein walked onto the balcony.

"Why don't you walk around the city? I understand this must feel like suffocation to you."

I nodded and slipped off of the edge, falling straight down and landing easily on the street below.

No one saw me as I ducked into the shadows of an alley.

I stepped into the light and several people saw me.

At this time of day, people were more likely to hang around the rougher parts of town…

A man gave me a measuring look, so I slipped a kunai from my pocket and began to clean it with the edge of my shirt. That should keep me out of trouble. If not, I can handle it.

There weren't any restaurants in the lower level. Pein and Konan only had "their" food, so I was given just enough money to buy my own food.

Level two of the city was packed with plenty of places to eat.

I saw a restaurant called "The Rain". I thought it sounded interesting, so I walked inside. It reminded me of a country style restaurant.

The sign said to seat yourself, so I did. I sat just beside the door.

A waitress walked over to me, "How can I help you?"

"What's good here?"

She smiled ever so slightly, "You are a visitor?"

I nodded with a smile.

She frowned, "Strangers are not very welcome here… So you'd best keep that to yourself. If someone asks, I would say that I am a spy from Konoha. That usually helps newcomers. I can't stand hearing about women getting hurt around here."

I nodded in thanks and she added, "We have excellent ramen here!"

I smiled and ordered a bowl.

She sat down across from me a bit later as she handed it to me.

I checked for poison and found none.

I wondered for an instant why she was sitting across from me until I realized that the place was basically empty.

"Are you the only worker here?"

The girl nodded. I noticed her frizzy hair and bloodshot eyes. "This place was my father's. He was a ninja here until he died… It was always his wish to become the sky, so the ash ceremony was his perfect burial."

I smiled slightly to her, "Do you have a mother?"

"She died giving life to me…"

I nodded with a frown. "Well… if it makes you feel any better, I don't remember anything about where I came from. I only remember the last few months, now."

She smiled, "So, what brings you here?"

I sighed. Hm… what is my reason?

I handed her the paper Kisame gave me. "Can you translate this? I think it's a code, but I'm not sure…"

She took it and frowned. "Hm… This is a paw print, right? I'm not entirely sure, but a ferret or weasel or something?"

I nodded. "Most likely… The man who drew it for me probably drew it wrong anyway…"

She smiled and nodded.

I paid for the meal and left the restaurant.

I decided that was my new mission for the duration of my week with Leader and Konan… discover what Kisame's letter said.

I walked up to a random man, "Can you translate this?"

"Who are you?!"

"Um… I…"

"I've never seen you before! What do you want here?!"

"Uhh… I'm a spy for-"

At that point, nine men had surrounded me, "So you're a spy, eh?! Well, we'll just see how good a spy you are!"

I gulped and tried to calm my racing heart. This wasn't working.

I glanced up and realized that the tower was really far away.

And so I began to run. I really didn't want to kill anyone!

It didn't take long before I had an entire mob chasing after me.

I ducked into a pub and hid under a table.

They ran past and I jumped out.

Twenty HUGE men were staring at me. "Who the heck are you?!"

I smiled ever so slightly. Think fast… lie… lie…lie…

"I'm… God's Angel?"

I mentally smacked my head. Stupid…

The first man smirked as he walked up to me, "An angel, huh? So pure and innocent… have you ever killed a man?"

"Well… yes but…"

"So you aren't an angel!"

I gulped. Crap…

One man sighed, "She is really pretty though…"

I glared at him and he smirked, "If she's such a beautiful angel… let's sacrifice her to God!"

I gulped. I will not kill them. I repeated that to myself several times.

I sat on top of a pile of sticks, tied to a pole. Some IDIOT tried to make white wings and pin them to my back, but they looked more like those comma-looking things Sasuke had in his curse mark.

ANOTHER moron made me a halo out of his underwear. I'd already shaken them off my head and flipped the guy off.

Someone lit the fire and I sighed.

"PEIN GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE AND TEACH THESE PEOPLE MANNERS OR I WILL DO IT MYSELF!"

Pein, in a cloak, jumped down from the tower and sighed. "You can't do anything yourself, can you?"

"Oh I could, but I don't think your tower can take THAT many souls to the right places, GOD."

I was mentally laughing my butt off.

Pein sighed and put out the fire with his rain.

I smiled as I jumped off the stick pile and over next to him.

"What did you say to them?" He muttered.

I laughed nervously, "I told them I was God's Angel on accident…"

He chuckled, "Okay then…"

Konan's paper swarmed around our feet and began to lift us up.

Pein pointed to the thugs and shouted, "DO NOT TEST MY POWER! YOU WILL ALL FAIL!"

And we were gone and ~all~ safe as we flew back to the tower.

Konan was smirking at me when we reached the top.

"Nice one, Morgan."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, handing her Kisame's note. "Not one person could translate this for me…"

Konan took it and with one glance sighed.

"Pein… you tell her."

Pein took it in confusion and glanced at it.

The tops of his ears turned red and he stuttered, "I-I would talk to Itachi about th-this!"

He walked inside and Konan smirked.

"I'll give you a hint. Those were meant to be weasel prints. The second one is related to cards. The third is an attack you use. Have fun~!"

I sat down on the balcony edge and tried to decipher the note… Weasel… Cards… me… mhn… Weasel spades me… Weasel clovers me… Weasel clubs me… Weasel hearts me…. Wait… ?

"A weasel loves me? That's just plain weird… "

~Konan/Pein~

"How much of an idiot can she be?!"

Pein sighed, "I don't want to find out."

Konan groaned, "Idiot!"


	65. Chapter 65

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 65**

I stood beside leader's desk as a man walked in. I waved happily at him and he blinked in confusion.

I put up bunny ears behind Leader's head and the man smirked.

Leader glared at me and told me to behave.

The man wanted to hire ME to go kill some dude.

He was originally going to hire Hidan and Kakuzu, but he apparently really liked me.

Pein sighed and told me I had to go with the weird man…

And so I and Mr. Blaghblaghblagh left for the next town over, where some guy, who is soon to be dead, waits for us.

We were walking. In silence. Booooooring…

"So…" I cooed.

He sighed, "So…"

I replied in a bright tone, "So!"

He smirked, "So!"

We turned to each other, pointing and screaming, "I SAID SO FIRST!"

We were both bored out of our minds.

I handed back the note:

It had gone like this for a while now:

Me: I am SO gonna whoop this guy!

Him: Oh yeah? Well what if you die?

Me: I go to ninja heaven and live with the mudkipz.

Him: What's a Mudkip?

Me: A pokemon.

Him: What's that?

Me: YO MAMA!

Him: My momma is dead, thank you.

Me: Did the mudkipz get her?

Him: Suuuuure… and I was born in a tree.

Me: Really? I think Itachi was born in a hole… That's why he's such a grump…

~Itachi~

Itachi: *holds chest*

Kisame: What happened?

Itachi: I feel pain for some reason…

~Resuming the note passing~

Him: I was pretty sure he'd kill me.

Me: Na… Hidan would though. He's mean, too… And so is Kakuzu… but Sasori's just stingy.

~Sasori~

Sasori: *holds head and swaggers*

Deidara: What is it?

Sasori: I feel kind of light headed all of a sudden…

~Back to the note~

Him: That's nice… So what's your name?

Me: Morgan. You?

Him: *insert some name here*

Me: Ooooooh! I lurv it!

Him: Why are we passing notes when we are standing right next to each other?

Me: I dunno…

~Later~ *still writing the note*

Him: My Dark Magician beats your Dark Magician Girl~!

Me: Dang… I never was good at Yu-gi-oh…

~Later, same note~

Me: And then he said that and I said woa and she was all like OMG!

Him: REALLY? Omeegawd!

Him: … and then when I was two, my dog died.

Me: Really? What kind was it?

Him: A CUTE ONE!

Me: That's nice!

Him: And then BOB stole my girlfriend!

Me: THAT'S HORRIBLE!

Him: *tears* And that's when I first killed a man!

Me: Dang…

Him: Uh-oh… we ran out of paper…

Me: What did we write on anyway?

Him: Explosive tags…

At that point, the message was blown to bits and we were running for our lives.

And so we arrived back at the tower and the man was laughing and goofing off with me.

The man giggled, "We never even went after the guy! Morgan and me went to a karaoke place and had a great time! I am all over my hatred! But I'll pay you anyways! Bye Morgan!"

I smiled and waved really enthusiastically, "See ya!"

He left and Pein asked, "What did you do to him?!"

"WE PLAYED YU-GI-OH!"

He sighed and waved me away tiredly, "You're dismissed… "

I nodded and walked off to my room to take a shower and go to sleep.

~Next day~

I looked at the hand of cards in front of me and raised one eyebrow. "So… you think you're all tough just because you're beating me, eh?"

My "opponent" moved his card forward.

I groaned, "Dang it! I lost AGAIN!"

The pigeon flew away with my crackers.

"Even a pigeon is better at cards then me…"

I rubbed my temples. This was day four. Three more days after today and I'd be with Tobi and Zetsu.

Konan walked out onto the balcony and smiled, "Would you like a place to train?"

I nodded, following her into the basement of the tower and looking around.

It resembled a car lot with a high ceiling and was completely empty.

I stood in the center and concentrated. My spikes rose high into the air.

With a single jump I reached one of the higher spots. I frowned as I concentrated even harder.

After a half hour of fooling around, I sighed. What did I need to practice? I thought back to my fight with Hidori and realized something!

~Next day at dinner~

Pein watched as I walked into the kitchen and sat with him and Konan.

We also had a visitor. He was wearing a hat… this was the perfect opportunity to use my new jutsu…

I took a drink of my tea and the man's hat began to float above his head.

He seemed confused as he reached a hand up to his balding head and felt for the missing hat.

He looked up and saw the hat above his head.

His mouth fell open.

I took a bite of my food and the first three buttons on his suit popped off into the air, floating beside the hat.

His eyes widened and his mustache seemed to quiver.

I coughed slightly and his mustache split in two on his face.

My eyes squinted slightly and his entire mustache fell onto the table.

He gasped, stood, and fled the room.

I doubled over laughing in my seat and looked up to my teammates.

Konan's butterflies formed and fluttered around the room as they tried to find the reason for the floating hat and buttons.

I turned my head to them and all ten of her butterflies began to move on my command.

Konan looked freaked.

I smirked as I forced the butterflies to latch onto Pein's face.

Pein stood, glared at me, and shouted, "ENOUGH!"

I let the hat and things fall. I guess microscopic spikes were too genius to be used for pranks… Ah well… I could always use them for parlor tricks!

And so that's how I was grounded to my room for the rest of the week… Heheheh…

Totally worth it.


	66. Chapter 66

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 66**

Author-chan: Well because I'm bored I'll finish up this Saga in the next chapter or so… I'm reading to get through with all of this! 3

~begin~

 _Dear Morgan's Journal,_

 _Well this is day six in my torture of being stuck with Leader and Konan. So far I have eaten breakfast and written this. Isn't life grand? Haha… not. But just a moment ago when I was so excited to go and leave here with Tobi… I realized something. I am going to be stuck with MADARA for a whole WEEK._

 _The problem with this isn't that I dislike or like him in the least. It is mainly the thought that he could very well kill me. Seeing as he KNOWS I KNOW who he is… might be a biiiit of a problem._

 _So as of right now… I am scared to death of LEAVING this Tower._

 _Yours Truly,_

 _Morgan Stream_

I dropped the paper onto the bed just as someone knocked on my door. Pein walked inside and handed me my lunch. "Your partners for next week just sent me a message relaying that they will be here early tomorrow instead."

I groaned. He sighed, "Just get this week over with and you will be free." I smiled slightly and nodded.

He leaned on the wall and asked, "Who are you going to join with then?"

I frowned. I hadn't exactly seriously considered it yet… Pein's team was out… Tobi's was out… Hidan and Kakuzu were WAY out… I was kind of split between Sasori's and Kisame's teams.

Reason for wanting to join Team SasoDei: Sasori was going to die soon.

Reason for wanting to join Team KisaIta: KISAME IS A FISH. Lol

The REAL reason for wanting to join Kisame's team: To be with Itachi-sensei.

I rolled my eyes to myself. Well that sounded weird.

I smiled, "Team SasoDei please!"

Pein smirked, "Well, as soon as your final team is finished we will have a meeting at another base for a week or so. You may choose differently after that."

I smiled and thanked him before he left me to my food.

~Later~

Hello there~! In my complete boredom I've managed to make up my own Akatsuki theme song! Mind you… it is VERY stupid.

*goes to the tune of Iron Man*

We are the A-kat-ski!

Running over puppies and stealing candy!

There is no dang hope for all you with a runny nose!

This is so random!

With all these words and stupid stuff!

Yes!

I've also made a Pokemon song~!

*goes to the tune of Barbie Girl*

I'm a Poke Geek in a contest world!

Balls and monsters…there are no sing stars!

*interrupts this program to state: THIS IS NARUTO YOU IDIOT!*

Morgan: There were several others but I'll save those for later… Wait a sec… Can PLEASE let them hear the Akatsuki version of the first pokemon theme song?! PLEASE?!

Author-chan: Fine…

*goes to the tune of the first Pokemon theme song~!*

I'm gonna be the very worst! The worst that ever was!

To catch Kisame is my real test! To make Hidan shut up is my cause!

I will travel across the land…searching far and wide…

These Jinchurikki to misunderstand the power that is goooone!

Akatsuki! 'Gotta kill them all!

It's you and me… I know it's my destiny!

Akatsuki! Oh you're my only friend in a world we must destroy!

Akatsuki! Gotta kill them all!

I'll hold true! Our lies will pull us through!

You hit me and I'll hit you! Akatsuki!

Gotta kill them all! Gotta kill them all!

Akatsuki!

*dies laughing*

Okay, okay! You have to admit this is great! ^^ Okay… the next one is the Akatsuki version of One Piece!

Dreamin! Don't give it up Tobi!

Dreamin! Don't give it up Kisame!

Dreamin! Don't give it Konan!

Dreamin! Don't give it, give it up!

Here's how the story goes we find out…

About the ninth Jinchurikki there is no doubt!

The ninja with his eyes on the hill sing!

I'll be the Ruler of the World, I'm gonna be King!

His name is Tobi that's Tobi of the Akatsuki! He's gonna be Ruler of the World!

He's a complete idiot! How'd that happen?

Yo, yo, yo he snuffed too much weed.

His name's Kisame and he just like a samurai!

And l.a.d.y Konan's not shy!

The band ninja would do anything!

King of the World he's gonna be King!

Set your sights on Naruto! It's the name of the last Jinchurikki…

In Konoha… Set your sights on Naruto!

Okay I'm done~! ^^ You can tell I got bored…

 _So after being grounded for the rest of the week these things happen. I wonder who in the world will ever end up reading all of the crap I'm writing in this journal…_

I heard another knock on my door and glanced up from the page.

Nine kunai flashed through the opening in the door. Noting them, my tiny spikes flew upwards and caught them easily.

The attacker darted in, jumped at me… and I kicked him in his face. "Whothheckareyou?!"

Translation: Who the heck are you?

I glanced at the little boy on the floor.

OMG HE LOOKS LIKE SASUKE!

My eyes went all big, probably with sparkles and hearts. "You are so adorable!"

He glared at me, "How dare you kill our clan!"

Wah?

"I'LL HATE YOU FOREVER!"

I blinked. "Who the heck are you?!"

"I will avenge our clan! I am Tai Mao! And I will never lose to you elder sister!"

My head tilted to the side. "I did what?"

"You killed mother and father and auntie and uncle!"

I thought for a moment… okay, if we're pretending to be Itachi and Sasuke let's do it right!

"Can you give me a second to change?"

"Yeah!"

*after I change*

I wore my net shirt outfit and had LONG lines drawn on my face.

I even painted my nails purple.

"You can not defeat me, brother! You are weak and too scared for your own life!"

"I hate you brother!" Mini Sasuke shouted.

"If you wish to beat me you will have to do as I did and kill your best friend…"

He teared up, "I don't want to!"

"I was just kidding…"

"Oh! Okay!"

He tripped and fell as he walked towards me. "Waaaagh! Don't kill me! I'm so scared sister!"

I pointed out the door and shouted, "Run, brother! Run until you are strong enough to face and kill me! Mwahahahaha!"

He ran out of the room and I flopped down on my bed. Well that was weird. But very time consuming~! If you can't tell I only did this out of sheer boredom and as a filler for the rest of this arc~! YAY ME! 3

~Enter Pein~

"Who was that kid? Why are you dressed up like Itachi?" he asked.

I stood and smirked perverted-ly, "I am your sensei, Nagato… Obey me and read porn!"

He paled and fell over. "Huh. Was that a bit much?"

Konan walked in and I puffed out my chest. "I am Nagato's new body! Become God's Angel!"

She paled and fell down on top of Pein. "Well, that was nice!"

I collapsed laughing and decided to go confetti their base! Yay me!

I wrote "Ichigo Kurosaki was here!" in huge letters.

I wonder what they'll think when they wake up?

Anyways… hope ya enjoyed this completely random chapter that made no sense~!


	67. Chapter 67

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 67**

Pein and Konan escorted me to the meeting place to "get rid of me faster". They found out it was me who spray painted their walls~!

I shuddered as Tobi saw me.

"MORGAN-CHAN!" he cooed.

Oh good god and cupcakes.

He jumped at me and I dropped to the ground at Pein's feet.

"PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME GO! I PROMISE I'LL WASH ALL THE WALLS!"

Pein kicked me off and shouted, "Take her already!"

I lifted a hand and reached for him as he and Konan ran away.

I chibi-cried as Tobi pulled me up by the back of my cloak. "Morgan-chan is such a bad girl… tsk tsk!"

Zetsu simply decided to disappear into a tree.

Tobi hugged me to his chest and patted my hair. "There, there Morgan-chan Tobi loves you a lot!"

I groaned and tried to pull away but found it impossible.

In a more serious tone he stated, "No one will believe you even if you do tell, so please act normal~! I am Tobi! Pretend I am Tobi and be as stupid as you want."

I nodded and he threw me over his shoulder triumphantly.

"Off we go, Morgan-chan! We have a good~ surprise for you!"

Tobi dropped me in a clearing. I groaned as I rubbed my behind.

I glanced up and groaned even louder, "Oh no… Please no…"

Tobi thumped my back hard. "We have to get the base ready for next week Morgan-chan!"

Zetsu reappeared from a tree beside the entrance.

I crossed my legs, "No! I won't go in!"

He sighed, "Come along Morgan-chan…"

I was dragged kicking and screaming into the base, tied up in a random room, and left alone.

I sat there for a while, just thinking. "Hey Mada… Tobi!"

He stuck his head inside. "Yes~!" he chimed.

I sighed, "Can I please get up?"

He walked over and cut the binds.

"You are in charge of yours, Konan's, Itachi, and Kisame's rooms. It's only for a week, but still!"

~half an hour later~

I dragged Itachi's bed into his room from storage, grumbling. "Why the heck do I have to move THEIR stuff too?!"

I sat down on the bed and sighed.

His sheets tickled my hands as I rubbed them absentmindedly. They hadn't been folded, just left on the bed.

I fumbled through the sheets and found a section that stuck out oddly.

I pulled the sheet up and glanced over it.

"What… ?"

It was a picture… of…

My eyes widen. "Eh?!"

It was a picture of me…

I was sitting on the couch with Kisame to my left. I was turned so the camera caught my entire right. Deidara was leaning over the couch with an arm around my shoulders. Tobi was leaned back on my knees and looking over his shoulders at me. Hidan and Kakuzu had their arms crossed in the background. Sasori was leaning on the back of the couch smirking as the rest of us died in laughter at something.

I blinked at the picture. Konan has taken the picture and given everyone a copy… Mine was buried in my "box" of things… But why was it in his BED?!

I placed it back in the sheets and left the room.

I'd ask him about it later.

DAY 2:

I'd finished setting up the rooms. It was a MAJOR pain.

Today we got a letter from Sasori. They'd met a "candidate" for the Akatsuki. Seeing as I was STILL only a candidate, it startled me. How many people do they NEED?

I sighed and set up a room for said "new person" for when they arrived with Dei and Sasori.

DAY 3:

Today Zetsu and I were going shopping. Yayers…

He was in … disguise… You want to know what his disguise is? A maple tree. He replaced his fly trap with maple leaves. Do you have ANY idea how EMBARRASSING it was to SHOP with him?!

Thirty-three people asked what his problem was. I told them he was in a play and simply REFUSED to remove the leaves. They believed it.

We stepped into the store and I glanced to the list.

We both took carts and walked down the aisles. Twenty packs of toilet paper, twelve sets of breakfast food, and a million other articles later, we finally finished.

I paid for it with Tobi's money and we headed back to the base.

DAY 4:

Today I went stir crazy. We ALL knew it was coming. It went something like this:

Me: *swings from chandelier* MWAGAHHAHAHHA! I'M A FLASHLIGHT, TOBI-KUN!"

Tobi: *holds tightly onto legs as he holds for dear life* GET DOWN!

Zetsu: *sips plant fertilizer and reads the newspaper* And so the economy is dropping again…

Me: *insert insane laughter here* HEY TOBI-KUN! I BET I CAN FALL FASTER THAN YOU!

Tobi: DON'T YOU DARE LET GO!

Both: *fall*

Me: *lands on Tobi* Aw… you won Tobi-kun….

Tobi: *epic sigh* Get. Off.

Me: M'kay~!

DAY 5:

Two days to go and something came up. Zetsu's pet human-eating plant ate me.

They spent three hours getting me out. How was I supposed to know that feeding a carnivorous plant a cookie was a bad idea?!

DAY 6:

Today the first team arrived. Hidan and Kakuzu cussed me out in their usual way and then hugged the living daylights out of me. I missed them too.

Later that evening Konan and Pein arrived. They ignored me and went straight to their room to "talk" with Tobi.

DAY 7:

Itachi and Kisame arrived today. THAT was a strange conversation.

Kisame: SEE I told you she was fine!

Itachi: Hn…

Me: ?

Kisame: And you thought that nightmare about her getting eaten by a plant was real!

Me: But I was eaten by a plant!

Itachi: *faints*

Me:?

Kisame: Please tell me you didn't go shopping with a maple tree…

Me: I did.

Kisame: *faints*

Me: *drags them to their rooms*

Also on day seven, our final team arrived. Sasori and Deidara were accompanied by the NEWEST recruit…

I glanced up from my book as someone cleared their throat. Deidara stood, smirking, in front of me. His hands were on his hips in a heroic looking stance. The sudden appearance of one of my very best friends was enough to earn him a glomp and squeal from me.

Sasori smiled at me as he walked inside. "Morgan…"

I nodded and began to ask how they were doing as another person followed them in.

To my surprise… it was a girl my age.

Her hair was a brownish and went down to her mid-back. Green eyes flashed at me in defiance. A jingling sound filled the room as she stopped walking, due to the many bracelets on her wrists. Finger-less gloves decorated the rest of her arms.

My eyes widened at her. She was the exact embodiment of rebellion.

She glanced over my plain look and I felt embarrassed.

Deidara looked back and forth between us and smiled.

"Madi, this is Morgan… Morgan, this is Madi."

She smiled slightly. I returned it.

Sasori chuckled, "Madi is a possibility for a future Akatsuki member…"

Madi looked at me with a dismissive gaze. "What is she, then?"

I felt a twinge of anger at her tone but didn't let it show.

"She's a hopeful for the Akatsuki. She'll be in just after Tobi-kun."

She seemed to disagree with them, so I decide to play a small joke on her and my friends.

My tiny little spikes that no one could really see shot up around the room.

Sasori's cloak was stripped from his body and Deidara's camera was now floating ten feet in the air. Madi's bracelets danced around the camera in an orbit of their own.

Her eyes widened and I smirked.

"My name is Morgan Stream. I guess you could call me the prankster of the Akatsuki."

A big smile slowly grew on her face. "Cool. Madi Tsukino. I think we will get along fine."

Deidara was jumping up and down trying to get his camera.

I felt very confident about Madi as I began to show her around the other rooms to meet all of the others.


	68. Chapter 68

**Right... I missed about a week... sorry about that... This past week had a lot of things due, and it's been really really exhausting. Thanks for putting up with my sucky updating consistency, and here's your three chapters~! Go back and read from chapter 66!**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

Author-chan: This is a special chapter~! There are some songs to go with the story, so play them along (from YouTube or something) when you get to that point! **Songs: 'I Hate Everything About You - by Three Days Grace', 'Misery Business - by Paramore', 'Comatose - by Skillet'.** Commence the chapter~!

 **Chapter 68**

I knocked on Itachi's door and he opened it immediately.

Madi stood on my right in the doorway.

He glanced coldly to her and then back to me.

I smiled, "Itachi-sensei, This is Madi! She will be staying the week with us!"

"I see… welcome." He stated.

I nodded and continued, "I moved that old picture to your drawer, okay?"

His eyes widened, "Hn?!"

He looked shocked and I shut the door in his face.

I heard him demand, "You SAW it?!"

Madi raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Interesting… he's rather cold to me, eh?"

I shrugged, "He's cold to everyone."

Itachi inside his room: *heard that* *holds chest* Ouch…

We moved on to Kisame's room.

He opened the door and saw Madi straight away.

"You must be the new girl! I am Kisame Hoshigaki, nice to meet you!"

Madi looked excited, "I know you! You are a swordsman with the blade Samehada!"

He smiled slightly, "That would be me."

He looked back to me, "When's dinner?"

I rolled my eyes, "6 o'clock."

He nodded and shut the door.

With a sigh I led her on to Hidan's room.

He cussed me out for bothering him and then her for being born apparently.

I sighed and she snapped at him.

"YEAH WELL YOU'RE A LITTLE…"

"OH YEAH?! WELL YOU SHOULD JUST GO BACK FROM WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

I baned my head on the wall and they kept at it for ten minutes until I dragged her away to Kakuzu's room.

He only nodded and shut the door.

I rolled my eyes.

"They are all very cold…"

I laughed, "Only to new people!"

She nodded with a frown and I led her to Pein's room.

The conversation went as follows:

Madi: You probably don't own a lot of magnets, right? Would they stick to your face and ears?

Pein: No… They stick EVERYWHERE.

Both of us: *die laughing*

We high-fived as he shut the door, and we decided to skip Konan's room for later.

I escorted her to her room.

"Tobi and Zetsu are out, but they'll be back soon! They are bringing some games to play tonight!"

She nodded and I left for my room.

Tobi met me there later.

"Oh there you are Morgan-chan! I got something you'll like a lot!"

I blinked as he threw something in my hands.

I blinked. OMG.

I had a freak out in my brain before glomping him.

~after dinner~

I couldn't sit still in my seat at all during the meal.

Madi seemed bored out of her mind.

As soon as everyone was done, I jumped to my feet.

"Okay guys! We have a game for you to try!"

I threw it down on the table and everyone stared.

Deidara was the first to ask, "What the heck kind of game is that?"

I cleared my throat. "Have any of you ever sang before?"

No one answered.

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"Come on Dei… Sing this for me."

He glanced at the paper I slid to him.

With an quiet intake of breath, he sang quietly,

 ** _"Let me know that I've done wrong,_**

 ** _When I've known this all along,_**

 ** _I go around a time or two,_**

 ** _Just to waste my time with you._**

 ** _Tell me all that you've thrown away,_**

 ** _Find out games you don't wanna play,_**

 ** _you are the only one that needs to know-_**

 ** _I'll keep you my dirty little secret…"_**

I beamed and cooed, "You're the singer then!"

Madi shot out of her seat, "I want drums!"

I nodded and glanced to the others.

Itachi frowned, "We're being a band?"

I smirked, "We're playing a game!"

~Ten Minutes Later~

Pein: *pulls on bow-tie* Welcome to the Akatsuki's very first battle of the bands… Team one is the group 'Artists'. Singer is Deidara. Keyboardist is Sasori. Guitarist is Morgan. Madi is drummer. Band Two consists of 'The WhyAreWeDoingThisGroup'… Lead singer is Konan. Guitarists are Itachi and Hidan. Kisame is Drummer. And Tobi is keyboardist.

Leftover audience (Kakuzu and Zetsu): *minor applause*

Pein: Let us begin the competition with Team Artist's song… Um… "I Hate Everything about You"… Commence…

~song start!~

I began to play my guitar easily. Deidara took a quick breath and began to sing…

 ** _Every time we lie awake_**

 ** _after every hit we take_**

 ** _every feeling that I get_**

 ** _But I haven't missed you yet_**

Sasori was mixing in his beats with Madi's drumming, and we were beginning to really get into it.

 ** _Every roommate kept awake_**

 ** _by every sigh and scream we make_**

 ** _all the feelings that I get_**

 ** _But I still don't miss you yet_**

My guitar almost seemed to prepare for the future awesomeness of the song.

 ** _Only when I stop to think about it_**

Deidara's expression changed as the higher notes came in and we jamed together!

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _Why do I love you_**

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _Why do I love you_**

Madi was really pumping in the drums here and I felt 100% sure we had this in the bag!

Deidara's voice was amazing and drove me into hysterics when he got it perfect!

 ** _Every time we lie awake_**

 ** _after every hit we take_**

 ** _every feeling that I get_**

 ** _But I haven't missed you yet_**

Sasori seemed rather bored as he added in the extra effects. I think we could have EASILY made it in America's Got Talent if we wanted!

 ** _Only when I stop to think about it_**

I closed my eyes and listened intently.

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _why do I love you_**

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _why do I love you_**

Madi laughed then and I grinned. Through the music we were beginning to get along. Sasori smirked from his keyboard and Deidara's facial expressions reached the point of dramatically glory!

 ** _Only when I stop to think_**

 ** _about you, I know_**

 ** _only when you stop to think_**

 ** _about me, do you know_**

I laughed, "Sing it!"

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _Why do I love you_**

 ** _You hate everything about me_**

 ** _Why do you love me_**

 ** _I hate_**

 ** _You hate_**

 ** _I hate_**

 ** _You love me_**

We got ready to finish…

 ** _I hate everything about you_**

 ** _why do I love you_**

Pein: And that was 'Artists'… Judges?

Zetsu: Good, I suppose…

Kakuzu: A 9/10…

Pein: Alright then… next is… the other band… I am NOT repeated their name.

Others: M'kay…

~begin~

Everyone took the stage and Konan grabbed a mic. Out team sat to watch. Itachi took my guitar and Hidan grabbed another one.

My mouth fell open when Konan began to sing…

 _ **I'm in the business of misery**_

 _ **Let's take it from the top**_

 _ **She's got a body like an hourglass**_

 _ **That's ticking like a clock**_

Itachi hadn't missed a beat with his Sharingan and Hidan was doing perfectly.

 _ **It's a matter of time**_

 _ **before we all run out**_

 _ **when I thought he was mine**_

 _ **she caught him by the mouth**_

Tobi was jamming it out and winking his Sharingan eye at me.

 _ **I waited eight long months**_

 _ **She finally set him free**_

 _ **I told him I can't lie**_

 _ **He was the only one for me**_

Deidara frowned as he closed his eyes. I blinked as Itachi smirked at us. Kisame drowned out my mind with his drumming.

 _ **Two weeks and we caught on fire**_

 _ **She's got it out for me**_

 _ **But I wear the biggest smile**_

I could have DIED they were SO good.

 _ **Whoa, I never meant to brag**_

 _ **But I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **Whoa, it was never my intention to brag**_

 _ **To steal it all away from you now**_

Konan sounded EXACTLY like the singer for Paramore.

 _ **But God, does it feel so good**_

 _ **'Cause I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **And if you could then you know you would**_

 _ **'Cause God, it just feels so**_

 _ **it just feels so good**_

Madi whimpered slightly in envy but was too busy enjoying the song.

 _ **Second chances they don't ever matter**_

 _ **People never change**_

 _ **Once a whore, you're nothing more**_

 _ **I'm sorry, that'll never change**_

Itachi had blown my mind with his guitar playing.

 _ **And about forgiveness**_

 _ **we're both supposed to have exchanged**_

 _ **I'm sorry honey but I'm passing up**_

 _ **now look this way**_

Konan looked to Pein as she sang the next bit.

 _ **Well there are a million other girls**_

 _ **who do it just like you**_

 _ **looking as innocent as possible**_

 _ **to get to who**_

I smiled as Kakuzu looked uncertain.

 _ **They want and what they like**_

 _ **It's easy if you do it right**_

 _ **Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse**_

 _ **Whoa, I never meant to brag**_

 _ **But I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **Whoa, it was never my intention to brag**_

 _ **To steal it all away from you now**_

 _ **But God, does it feel so good**_

 _ **'Cause I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **And if you could then you know you would**_

 _ **'Cause God, it just feels so**_

 _ **It just feels so good**_

 _ **I watched his wildest dreams come true**_

 _ **And not one of them involving you**_

 _ **Just watch my wildest dreams come true**_

 _ **Not one of them involving**_

I gave into the music and just drowned in the music I missed so much.

 _ **Whoa, I never meant to brag**_

 _ **But I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **Whoa, I never meant to brag**_

 _ **But I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **Whoa, it was never my intention to brag**_

 _ **To steal it all away from you now**_

 _ **But God, does it feel so good**_

 _ **'Cause I got him where I want him now**_

 _ **And if you could then you know you would**_

 _ **'Cause God, it just feels so**_

 _ **It just feels so good**_

Pein: Judges?

Kakuzu: 10/10

Zetsu: Perfect. 10/10.

Pein: And the winners are… yeah…that group.

Itachi smirked and Madi glared at him.

I cheered and the others smiled.

Itachi handed me a paper.

"We decided to perform one more. For the fun of it."

I grinned as I read it and dashed to my place as lead guitar.

Everyone moved around the stage awkwardly, but the whole Akatsuki ended up in it.

Konan: Back-up vocals

Pein: Guitarist

Hidan: Guitarist

Me: Lead Guitarist

Madi: Drums

Kisame: Drums

Sasori: Keyboard

Tobi: Keyboard

Kakuzu: Mix board

Zetsu: Tambourines in the back…

Itachi: Singer

Deidara: Back-up vocals

~and the song goes like this…~

Itachi's voice fit well in the song… Comatose by Skillet…

 _ **I hate feeling like this**_

 _ **I'm so tired of trying to fight this**_

 _ **I'm asleep and all I dream of**_

 _ **is waking to you**_

Hidan and I harmonized and synced perfectly.

 _ **Tell me that you will listen**_

 _ **your touch is what I'm missing**_

 _ **And the more I hide I realize I'm slowly losing you**_

 _ **Comatose**_

Konan and Deidara sounded great as backup vocalists.

 _ **I'll never wake up without an overdose of You**_

 _ **I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe**_

 _ **'Les I feel you next to me**_

 _ **you take the pain I feel**_

Madi and Kisame were smirking at each other as they competed for best drummer.

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream**_

 _ **'Cause my dreams don't comfort me**_

 _ **The way You make me feel**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

I never wanted the song to end…

 _ **I hate living without You**_

 _ **Dead wrong to ever doubt You**_

 _ **But my demons lay in waiting**_

Kakuzu added a thing in here and there. Zetsu was drowned completely out…

 _ **Tempting me away**_

 _ **Oh how I adore You**_

 _ **Oh how I thirst for You**_

 _ **Oh how I need You**_

 _ **Comatose**_

 _ **I'll never wake up without an overdose of You**_

 _ **I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe**_

 _ **'Les I feel You next to me**_

 _ **You take the pain I feel**_

Itachi's voice melted into the song.

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream**_

 _ **'Cause my dreams don't comfort me**_

 _ **The way you make me feel**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **Breathing life**_

 _ **Waking up**_

 _ **My eyes open up**_

 _ **Comatose**_

 _ **I'll never wake up without an overdose of You**_

 _ **I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe**_

The song was almost over now…

 _ **'Les I feel You next to me**_

 _ **You take the pain I feel**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream**_

 _ **'Cause my dreams don't comfort me**_

 _ **The way You make me feel**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

I smiled as it began its final phase…

 _ **Oh how I adore You**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **Oh how I thirst for You**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

 _ **Oh how I adore You**_

 _ **The way You make me feel**_

 _ **Waking up to You never felt so real**_

We cleaned up and laughed at the stupidity and fun.

Madi was completely comfortable with everyone now. She didn't exactly want to OBEY anything anyone told her, but she was a lot more relaxed.

Madi darted off to her room and I settled onto the couch.

A loud bang was heard along with a shout.

I scrambled down the hall with Deidara and the others right behind.

We slid to a halt outside of Madi's collapsed room.

I gaped at it and began to shuffle through it when I thought better of it.

My chakra spikes shot up and moved all of the collapsed debris away from her.

She had protected herself well and was uninjured.

I helped her out into the hall.

Zetsu disappeared into the wall to see what had happened, and I helped keep Madi up.

Tobi looked at the room before pointing crazily at the walls and (what was left of) the ceiling, "The beams must have rotted here! Zetsu will fix it so Madi can stay with Konan!"

Konan didn't disagree and we all decided to hit the hay before the WHOLE roof fell down on our heads.

I sighed and trudged back to my room. Without Madi next door, I was all alone in the north wing of the base… I feel so lonely now :(


	69. Chapter 69

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 69**

I finally fell asleep… My eyes opened slightly at the sound of a crack.

As if on instinct, my chakra spikes shot up and blocked the falling ceiling from really falling all that far.

I stood, half asleep, and grabbed my blanket and pillow.

I stumbled into the hall and faced the living room. Nope. Couch is bad. Couches are evil.

I turned and walked into the south wing where the others were.

Konan's room was out. She had Madi. Kisame had that HUGE bed and no floor to sleep on. Tobi was mean. Either Zetsu would eat me, or his plant would… Pein was STILL mad at me. Sasori had puppet crap all over his floor. Hidan's room was bloody. Kakuzu had money all over his. So that left Itachi and Deidara… Hm…

I leaned on the wall and tried to think for half a minute before I decided I was too tired to care.

My mind wasn't working right as I walked into the closest room.

Deidara was sprawled out across his bed like a moron and snoring.

I walked over to him and pulled his hair.

He looked up blearily. "… Hn?"

"My room collapsed. I'm sleeping in here."

He nodded and began to snore again.

I dropped onto the floor and tried to sleep.

COLD!

I sneezed and Deidara cracked opened his eyes.

"Good God… Come here before you get sick."

I lay down beside him in his bed. (Note: I'm still half asleep and my judgment skills are down the toilet.)

*both fall back asleep*

~next morning~

Everyone was eating breakfast when they noticed a few people missing.

Sasori sighed, "That baka must still be sleeping."

Madi twirled her eggs on a fork and mumbled, "Morgan's room collapsed."

Every eye shot to her. Of COURSE no one would have heard a room on the far side of the base fall in.

"She wasn't in it." Madi added.

Everyone looked under the table and in the cabinets. No Morgan.

So her usual places were empty.

Sasori stood and sighed, "I'll go check the closets in our hall."

Everyone stood and decided to go looking for Morgan.

First, everyone went to their rooms to check for her. Not finding her, they met back in the living room.

Sasori growled, "I will go wake the brat. He can help us find her."

Itachi followed.

Sasori reached Deidara's room before Itachi, yelling as he opened the door. "Hey wake up, Deidara! Morgan's gone… missing… ?"

His eyes widened at the scene and he slammed the door shut.

He turned and pressed his back to the door as Itachi reached for the door.

Itachi looked confused, "What?"

Sasori's eyes were still wide in momentary shock. "Um… Um… Um… Well… Deidara, he… Um… Hey… Why don't you go check outside?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Move."

Sasori didn't.

Itachi's head tilted in confusion, "What is it really?"

Sasori answered hesitantly, "Deidara and Morgan are… kind of… um…"

Itachi's eyes widened and flashed red.

He shoved Sasori to the side and opened the door forcefully.

Pain flickered through his gaze. All the same he couldn't look away.

Morgan's head was on Deidara's bare chest, and her arms were around his stomach. His right arm was around her shoulders and his face in her hair. The blankets were down around their waists.

Itachi's eyes glazed over and he blinked. His head spun and he felt himself take an unsteady step backwards.

The rest of the Akatsuki all walked down the hall now with news that Morgan wasn't outside.

They stopped as Itachi backed up across the hall and into the other wall.

His eyes seemed to shake in their sockets. Pain flickered over all of his features before he slid to the floor and held his head.

Madi darted over to the door to Deidara's room and gasped.

She walked in quickly and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving the rest of the group in the hall.

Kisame knelt beside Itachi. "Itachi… what happened?"

Itachi seemed to gulp down the shock and his emotionless mask settled over his face.

"Morgan and Deidara are together."

Kisame and the rest of the Akatsuki looked shocked.

"Morgan! Wake up!"

My eyes opened a crack.

Madi was standing over me, looking horrified.

I pushed myself up and something groaned.

I gasped and shot up, landing in Madi's arms bridal style with my arms around her neck.

Deidara opened his eyes and groaned, "What the… ?"

Madi dropped me on the ground. "What the heck do you think you two are doing?!"

I blinked and Deidara looked confused.

Madi glared. "You got caught, idiots!"

I looked around. "How did I get in Deidara's room?"

He looked equally as confused. "Why are you in my room?"

We blinked.

Madi looked shocked. "You… don't remember sleeping with each other?"

We look at each other, stunned. "WHAT?!"

I looked from him and back to Madi. Deidara looks from me to Madi.

I screamed bloody murder and fainted.

Madi walked into the kitchen with Deidara.

Every eye was on them.

Deidara muttered, "Morgan is out, so um… I think I need to explain…"

Itachi, who was leaning on a wall glaring at the ground in front of his feet, looked up.

He smirked, "Have a fun night, Dei-kun?"

Deidara looked shocked but said nothing as he tried to work out a response.

Itachi was in his face within a single millisecond. His hand curled into the front of Deidara's shirt as he lifted him up in anger.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE TORTURED FOR THE NEXT 72 HOURS!"

His eyes were wide and his mouth was set in a snarl.

No one had EVER seen him THIS mad.

Deidara shouted in panic, "I don't remember a thing!"

Itachi smirked, "You think that THAT kind of excuse will stop me!? Ha! Prepare to die you little *bad word*!"

Madi's hand gripped Itachi's. "He's telling the truth! Morgan doesn't remember either!"

Itachi dropped Deidara and laughed slightly. "Is that so? Well isn't that nice…"

He smirked again and insanity briefly flashed over his face.

Deidara seemed about to speak as Itachi moved to attack him again.

Within a half second, Morgan was standing between them.

Itachi paused mid-punch and stared at her.

The rest of the Akatsuki watched in stunned silence.

Morgan began to speak.

"My room collapsed last night. I went around trying to find someone else to stay with. I was half asleep and my judgment was bad. I ended up in Deidara's room and, because it was cold, in his bed. I know I messed up. I know I did wrong. But nothing HAPPENED. Deidara passed out asleep. I was the one who caused this. So if you want anyone to blame… blame me."

Itachi relaxed and his eyes fell.

Emotionlessness covered his face. "Hn."

Morgan turned to Deidara. "I'm sorry…"

She turned then and walked outside with Madi.

~Itachi and Kisame~

Kisame: You were really about to kill him.

Itachi: Yes.

Kisame: *sigh* What if Morgan wanted him? Would you still act this way? She clearly just spoke the truth.

Itachi: …

Kisame: Itachi?

Itachi: *stands* I need to talk to Morgan…

Kisame: Right… Tell Madi I need a word as well…

Itachi: Hn…

~Morgan and Madi~

Madi: "The Great Itachi Uchiha" with feelings. Wow.

Me: He's never gotten like that before…

Madi: Hm… well it was over you.

Me: So he hates me that much?

Madi: Dunno. I'd ask him though. I mean he must have SOMETHING to say on the matter.

Me: Yeah… Hey, can I have a minute to myself?

Madi: Sure.

~Me~

I walked through the woods alone. After ten minutes or so I dropped onto the ground and leaned against a tree. Why was my life like such a crappy manga?

… Dumb question. I'm IN a manga.

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

About that time someone stepped into view.


	70. Chapter 70

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 70**

I heard a sigh from the person standing above me and looked up.

Sasori smirked and tossed me something small that glinted in the light.

I caught it and looked at it in my palm.

"A ring?"

He nodded, "Pein had me rig it up for you. It should be able to allow you into our meetings too. It won't let you help in the Jinchurikki sealing, but you can at least be there."

I smiled and turned the ring around to see the character. (Pinterest picture: Chapter 70)

I smiled, "Innocence, eh? Really? Me?"

With a small laugh, he sat down at my side.

"You're not quite Akatsuki yet, but as soon as Deidara and Tobi hitch out, you're in…"

I smiled slightly at the irony of who would be "hitching out" first.

He smiled that puppet smile of his, "Itachi was pretty upset after he saw you."

I sighed, "He's acting so strange over this."

Sasori chuckled, "I see…"

After a moment of comfortable silence between comrades, he began to speak again.

~Itachi~

I pressed my back into the tree and watched the two in the clearing.

Nothing was really happening until Sasori winked in my direction and stated, "Itachi was pretty upset after he saw you."

I froze. He ignored my glare and she responded, "He's acting so strange over this…"

"I see…"

The subject changed and I listened closely from where I was hiding.

"It was hard as crap to fit all of that kanji onto that ring you know." Sasori chuckled.

I smiled and laughed, "I bet! Innocence of all things?"

He smirked, "We thought it fit you."

I smiled at him and we both stood.

Sasori saluted me. "Don't come back late. Pein will send out a search party again!"

I rolled my eyes and he left.

I waited EXACTLY three minutes.

"Itachi, get out here right now and tell me what your dang problem is and why you are spying on me."

He walked into the open from behind his tree, looking like a caught child.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead, "I've had enough. I've admitted my mistakes. Is there anything else you demand me to apologize for?"

Itachi sighed and looked away a moment.

"I overreacted."

I huffed in disbelief, "I don't even see why it bugged you."

He seemed to take a breath. "That's why I came out here…"

He was struggling for words.

"And?"

I looked over to him and he closed his eyes in thought. He seemed to argue with himself before settling on his answer.

"… I can't exactly tell you…"

I turned on him with fury in my eyes. "THEN GET OFF OF MY BACK! MY LIFE IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WON'T TELL ME WHAT IT IS I AM ALWAYS DOING WRONG!"

You could easily tell how angry I was at him. It wasn't the fact that he had blown up at Deidara, but more the fact he chose not to tell me ANYTHING.

A girl can only handle so much. And my temper was a frayed rope for three weeks now. One more and I was going to snap. And I chose to snap here.

He stood there with a blank look on his face as I shouted, "YOU BLOW UP AT OTHERS AND NEVER EVEN TELL ME WHY! I KNEW YOU WERE A SELFISH LITTLE JERK WHEN I LEARNED YOU KILLED YOUR CLAN! I DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH IT TOO!"

I stormed into the woods in a straight line for the base.

Maybe I went a little too far, but I needed to shout at him. That was just the wrong subject to scream about.

I stopped and slammed my fist into a tree. A ring impression from my middle finger was left on the trunk. Backwards innocents. Ha… How Ironic. It made me feel great.

I beat my fist into the wood so hard that it was covered in backwards kanji.

I screamed my frustration to the skies and breathed in sharply.

There are times when working out your frustrations needs to be a physical thing. This was one of those times.

Finally a little relaxed, I realized just how wrong my conversation with Itachi had gone. Deep regret filled my stomach and I dropped to my butt in the dirt.

My knees were pulled up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them.

My chin rested in the crook of my knees.

I heard footsteps and hid my chakra.

Madi's voice piped up from the silence, "What is it you wanted to talk about, Kisame?"

The fish could be heard sighing, "You wanted to know about Morgan and Itachi, right?"

Madi said nothing but I imagined her nodding.

Maybe Kisame would let me in on something… since I was now left out of EVERYTHING. Even the new girl was being let in on things before me…

That line of thought was SHOVED out of my head as Kisame stated, "It's because Itachi loves her and can't tell her. That's why he blew up at Deidara. That's why he acts so much differently around her than others."

My head spun. … Wah?

Madi asked, "Why can't he tell her?"

That was enough for me.

I stood, let my chakra shoot out from me and to my presence known, and sprinted to the base.

I darted through the door and down the north hall to my messed up room.

I dug through the stuff and lifted debris away until I found what I was looking for.

A bag. I dug more and found all my things.

I gathered most of my clothes into the bag and strapped my kunai holster and other belongings in place.

This could not be happening. Things were so weird. I couldn't take it anymore. I can't do it. This is wrong! This isn't right! This is a lie! Make it go away!

My mind was overloading with memories that confirmed 'that' fact. Itachi loved me. My mind was reeling too quickly to accept it.

No one came to my room. No one bothered to see what I was doing.

No one noticed how I left through my window. No one knew I was gone. No one realized I had left a chakra-filled dummy in my room to fool them. No one would find my hidden chakra trail as I ran away. Maybe it was only for a day. Maybe it was for a month. Maybe it was for a lifetime. Maybe I would find a way home. But this was too much. My simply mind couldn't take it. So I was running away. To where, you ask? Anywhere but here.

Why? I will say it one more time, "I can only take enough lies and secrets in one lifetime… I need a break."

And it wouldn't be until three hours later, just as I was passing through the mountain tops and an insane storm, that Madi would stumble across my chakra dummy and scream until she ran out of breath. By then, my chakra trail would be washed away with the rain. And there would be no hope of finding a runaway ninja. No hope whatsoever.

~Itachi~

I stood where she left me, her words echoing in my head. This was strange for her. She'd never gotten this mad over anything. I could hear her screams and shouts in anger near the base.

I realized she was under too much stress. I understood she MIGHT not have meant what she said.

I knew I should leave her alone and that's exactly what I planned to do.

I walked back to the base alone and deep in thought.

No one said a word as I walked to my room in the south hall.

Later I could hear Morgan shuffling through the messed up rubble of her old room, and then things went quiet. She had stopped moving and was sitting on the ground.

I felt her chakra emanate from the room. I wanted to go say that I was sorry. But I couldn't. I simply couldn't.

That's when Madi screamed my name.

I ran to Morgan's room and saw the dummy sitting in the rubble. I felt the chakra leaking out of it. And I knew immediately what Morgan had done.

"Dammit… "

I spun on my heel and darted to my room.

Things were shoved into my bag as I prepared to go out after her.

Pein appeared in my doorway.

"You are going after her?"

I nodded.

He sighed, "Everyone else is, too. Madi informed the rest of us about her and Kisame's conversation… We think she found out about…"

Madi walked in, distraught. "She overheard Kisame tell me that you loved her. We didn't know she was there until she flared out her chakra and ran away. We didn't think she'd do this…"

My eyes widened, "She knows?"

She looked ashamed. "Yes… Morgan knows you love her… and now she's run away."

I felt a pain in my chest but managed to nod.

Madi turned back towards the hall, "I am going with Sasori and Deidara."

Pein nodded, "We will meet each night in the rings, so pay attention and report in anything."

Itachi nodded and Kisame met him at the door to the base.

"Where are we checking first?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "I knew she was too young to find out about this… The Akatsuki is enough of a strain on her."

"She's eighteen, right? She should be fine!"

Itachi smiled slightly, "Not quite, Kisame. And even if she was… not everyone can handle so much stress."

Itachi's eyes shot open and the Sharingan flashed red. "She went this way… but her trail is fading. We need to hurry."

Kisame nodded in agreement and the two shot off after Morgan.

~Me~

I sat under the tiny little shrine as the rain poured down and dripped from the tiny roof.

It had to be four feet tall… only tall enough for me to sit under.

My knees were against my chest and my arms wrapped around them.

I heard a voice nearby, "… What the?!"

Rapid footsteps. Was I caught? Was I already found? What would happen now?

A shadowy face appeared in front of me. I looked up at it with tired and weary eyes.

"Pervy-sage, it's a girl!"

Another older face appeared in front of me, "Well, what do we have here… What's your name?"

I answered quietly, "I don't remember."

That was my excuse. It would stay my excuse from the day I arrived in "Naruto" to the day I left. 'I don't remember anything' … the perfect excuse.

The shadowed face of the younger person smiled, "Really? Well, why don't we help you remember? My name's Uzumaki Naruto! And this is Pervy Sage!"

So this was the real life Naruto in the flesh. Why not tag along?

He might be just the ticket to a stress-free life right now. I smiled slightly back.

"Okay."


	71. Chapter 71

***sigh* ... Well, you know the drill. I don't update for a week due to some unforeseen even (in this case, a family visit. It was so nice to see my sister), and I dump a bunch of chapters on y'all. Hope I don't tick too many people off, I know I keep leaving off on the worst cliffhangers...**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 71**

"Good morning!" called a voice as I woke up. I glanced up and saw Naruto standing tall in front of me with his hands on his hips and a wide grin on his face. He was wearing an apron and cooking. -_-'

He grinned at me again. "You remember anything yet?!"

I smiled slightly, "No…"

He seemed to think for a moment, "Well then, let's call you Hana for now!"

I paused and nodded.

My body was still weak from all the stress leaking into me over all of the past few months.

Naruto handed me ramen (Of course. What did I expect?) and I laughed.

That stunt broke my weariness valve and I felt happy.

This was so like him!

He sat beside me and began to eat his own.

"You ever been to Konoha?"

I frowned, "I don't think so."

He sighed, "You know… You can knock off the act, I know very well that you're lying to me. What's your real name?"

"Morgan."

"Where are you from?"

"Far away."

"Why did you leave?"

I stood suddenly, "I DID NOT COME WITH YOU TO BE BOMBARDED WITH QUESTIONS! I CAN GET THAT AT HOME!"

He paused his questions and smiled slightly, "Alright! Alright! Sheesh!"

His grin was replaced with a smirk and squinted eyes. "Hey I have an idea… Why don't we… *whisper, whisper*?"

I grinned. Oh yeah. "Let's do it."

~Itachi~

It's been so many hours of searching. Morgan's trail has been washed away by the rain. I can't see any sign of her… even with my Sharingan.

"She must have really needed to get away to have hidden this well…" Kisame muttered.

I nodded. Pain flickers over me. I ignored it.

"What about if we find her?" Kisame asked.

"We bring her back."

The man beside me smirked in challenge, "And what if she doesn't want to go back with you?"

I stopped running. My body just… jammed up at the suggestion. "Then… I will…"

Kisame sighed, "Why couldn't you just say it in the beginning?"

I sighed, "My Sharingan…"

He glared at me, "She's plenty strong now! So what if you are weaker than she is for twelve hours?!"

"She would have cracked under the pressure even sooner!"

Kisame rolled his eyes, "You act like she twenty years younger than you."

I laughed slightly, "Based on maturity… she's seven years younger than me…"

Kisame smirked, "So? Who cares? She cracked because she had no warning to any of this! In my opinion, you treat her like a sister! Is that all she is to you?! A sister?!"

I turned on him angrily, "Morgan is not my sister! I love her! Is this enough for you?! Do I have to paint it in the sky?!"

Kisame smirked, "Now tell that to her."

I glared and moved on in my tracking.

~Me~

Naruto: (whisper voice) Shh! Be quiet!

Me: (whisper voice) I know! I know!

Naruto: *leans over Pervy Sage's head*

Me: *waits*

Naruto: *pours ramen juice all over him*

Both: *escape from the room laughing*

"That was genius, Naruto!" I gasped.

He laughed, "You bet!"

We stopped and held our sides as we laughed.

Perv walked out and saw us, "NARUTO!"

Naruto grabbed my upper arm and began to run, "Come on or he'll catch us!"

I sped up and his hand slipped down to mine, and we ninja-jumped off into an alley.

He dropped my hand and we laughed more.

It wasn't a creepy gesture at all. It was a friendship-like thing.

We were staying in a small town on the way to the Hidden Leaf.

It was enough of a shock that Sasori was about to leave us.

Naruto smiled at me and we sat down.

"You ready to tell me why you ran away?" He asked happily.

I felt my happy feelings pause. Why not tell him? No names will be stated of course, but…

"I can't tell you any names… but let's use this… Say I come from a village where everyone is like family. Say I was a newcomer to that village and was un-liked at the start… Now say that after they all know me and we are great friends… that they begin keeping secrets from me. Say that a new person comes in and they tell her everything… say that this scenario builds up so much my nerves are shot… and, by accident, I find out a secret about me that messes my whole new life up. Wouldn't you need time away?"

He sighed, "Sounds pretty complicated to me…"

I nodded and he sighed again, "You know… when I was little, everyone knew secrets about me, things I didn't know then either… and they talked about me behind my back… I hated them for it. And I regret ever hating them now. They only misunderstood me. And it's because of those people that I am strong enough to be here today…"

I thought back. It was the same with me. The others built me up and helped me grow stronger… even if I was excluded from some things.

I smiled and glanced down to the ring on my finger.

Naruto followed my gaze. "What's that?"

I smiled slightly, "A friend from where I came from gave it to me. I guess… I guess I misunderstood them, too…"

He beamed. "You see!"

I nodded and we stood.

Pervy Sage was behind us.

"N-Naruto…" I stuttered.

Naruto gulped.

The old man shoved a coupon in our faces.

His cheeks went bright red, eyes gleaming, and he cooed, "Hot springs here we come! Girls in bathing suits! Research galore! Yeah!"

Naruto smiled and looked to me, "You in?"

I nodded. "Sure."

What better way to get over the rest of this stress than a hot spring?

~Itachi~

I'd found Morgan's trail again… but I just lost it, and we had reached a fork in the road.

"Let's split up. We'll meet back here in 24 hours." Itachi muttered.

Kisame nodded and headed his own way.

Itachi started down his own path.

He smirked. This was always the right way. Kisame just wasn't going to know it. The last thing Itachi wanted or needed right now was criticism.

He kept running, feeling more confident. Morgan wasn't too far ahead.

And the plan was final: No more secrets. Ever.

~Day 2~

So this was the spa we were going to. Ironic… 100% of a coincidence… This was the same spa I had gone to on my first few days in Naruto… the one with the Anbu ninja… yeah… that one…

The people met us at the front.

Oops…

"Oh! It's you! You're that girl who came in a half year ago!"

I froze. EH?!

"I'd never forget such a pretty face! Not to mention the book you wanted to read! History, of all things!"

I smiled slightly, and the other girl looked at Naruto and Jiraiya. "Where's that other guy who was with you before?"

I cringed and dropped my head. He was… uh… dead…

Naruto looked at me and laughed slightly, "I guess the past can hit hard, eh?"

I nodded and we were led to our room.

One was enough, though I was VERY careful around men now. Ever since the "perv and the shower" incident, I have stayed that way.

Naruto and I began our walk to the spa house.

It was segregated into male and female.

I sighed as Naruto walked into the boy room.

I turn around and headed for a door to the outside.

I needed air more than the water right now.

~Itachi~

He breathed hard as he slowed to a stop. Morgan had stopped in this village for a while. She had left again, but the trail here was faded out with other chakras.

Sharingan flickered over the trail.

The trails were so small he couldn't really tell who was with her… but they were both male.

Itachi felt his ring's connection as he was summoned to the meeting.

He blinked his eyes and struggled to jump into the trees to hide.

He locked into the meeting.

Sasori: No sign of her here.

Deidara: Madi stop screaming in my ear! I can't hear the meeting!

Sasori: Madi, quiet!

Pein: *sigh* Anyone have anything?

Kisame: Nothing here.

Hidan: Nope.

Kakuzu: She's gone.

Konan: We don't have anything either.

Deidara: NO ONE HAS SEEN MORGAN MADI SO SHUT UP!

Itachi: I'm on her trail.

Everyone: What?!

Itachi: *glares* Leave her to me. Understand?

Pein: Are you sure?

Itachi: Yes.

Deidara: Itachi said he's going after her, Madi.

Sasori: MADI I CANNOT CONCENTRATE ON THE MEETING WITH YOU SCREAMING IN MY EAR!

Itachi: *relaxes* (chuckles) We'll be back soon. I'm not coming back without her. *exits meeting*

Other: *whistle* Intense, isn't he?

~Madi from outside the meeting~

Deidara and Sasori: Intense, isn't he?

Madi: WHAT?! WHO?! I WANNA KNOW! TELL MEEEE! *freaks out from not knowing*


	72. Chapter 72

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 72**

Naruto and Pervy Sage were snoring up a storm and I couldn't sleep.

I stood and sighed, wrapped myself in a kimono-type thing, and left the room.

The air hit my skin and cooled me. I sat down on the edge of a wooden patio.

I felt perfectly calm. My stress had worn down to a dull ache. I felt like sleeping, but I craved being awake.

The clouds passed over the moon slowly.

I stared up at its light and thought about the timeline.

Naruto was just about to reach Konoha. Not more than a few days from now… Sasori was going to…

I shut the though out of my head. It was wrong.

I watched as the clouds grew darker and darker, until rain began to pour down on me.

I closed my eyes. It was time to go back.

A painful thought of 'that' hit me hard and I lowered my head.

'That' subject was something I wasn't meant to hear yet. For whatever reason, Itachi didn't want to tell me. Maybe it was a lie? Who knows? Either way, I was done running.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back to accept the rain.

Take me in… drown me in emotionless relief.

It took my mind away and filled me with calmness.

Rain had always done this for me.

I heard hard breathing behind me.

A relieved laugh could be heard through the pounding of the rain.

"Found you… *laugh, cough from strain, groan* I finally found you, Morgan…"

My eyes shot open and I spun around.

Itachi was leaning over slightly.

His hands were on his knees and a weak smile on his lips.

"Found you…" Blood leaked from his Sharingan-lit eyes.

He tried to stand but ended up falling forward.

I darted towards him, catching him before he hit the ground.

I panicked for a moment. Where could I take him?!

I managed to carry him to the front desk.

"I need a room now!" I shouted at the woman.

She saw Itachi leaning on me and nodded.

I managed to get into the room and sat the half conscious Itachi down on a chair.

He watched as I darted around the room looking for a rag.

I got the blood off and shouted, "Are you okay?!"

He chuckled, "Fine."

I managed to talk the workers into giving me two more outfits and threw Itachi his.

"Get out of that cloak now before you get sick and die."

He smirked, "You go first…"

I frowned, "You move from here, and I will be the one to kill you."

I darted to the bathroom and changed from my wet clothes to the dry ones.

I walked back and found him struggling to get the dry clothes on.

I sighed and helped him out.

Now it was time to chew him out a little.

"What were you thinking?! You are sick, remember?! Using your Sharingan too much will KILL you, Itachi!"

He smirked, "Yep."

I sighed, folding my arms. "I was coming back anyway."

He couldn't seem to be anything but smirkish.

Definition of Smirkish: A person whose mood reminds you purely of a smirk.

I bustled around the room cleaning up and getting the room ready.

I heard him stand but ignored it.

I clicked the heat up several notches and found two more blankets.

I wasn't sure how to treat the Sharingan illness, but I was going to find a way to help.

I heard him approach me from behind.

I sighed, "Will you just go sit down? I can help you better if you don't make it worse."

His left arm shot past my head and closed off my exit that way.

"Morgan…"

I turned slightly towards him. His smirk was wider.

With a swift move I tried to escape to the right.

He closed me in and pressed his chest to my back so I was pinned to the wall.

"Are you sick Itachi?! What are you doing?"

I felt his mouth near my ear. Water from his wet hair dripped onto my neck and slid down my back. I shivered.

"You heard Kisame and Madi, right?"

I nodded. "It's a lie, right?"

He eased back and I turned to face him, though I was still trapped.

He watched my face carefully.

"No."

I blinked. "What?"

He let his right arm fall to his side.

"I didn't want to tell you until my Sharingan stage was over. I wanted to be able to protect you. I couldn't do that… Hidori nearly killed you. That's why I never said anything. But you found out…"

He looked away but remained tense. He sighed and closed his eyes before looking me straight in the eye.

"Listen carefully. I will only say it once. I love you Morgan. I don't care how old you are. I don't care what you think of me. I don't care what you say. It will not change. I love you, Morgan. I love you."

His eyes seemed to plead with me a moment before he pulled all the way away.

He took several steps back, walking away and towards the chair. He stumbled slightly but caught himself well enough.

I could only watch as he stepped away.

My heart accelerated faster and faster until I couldn't think of anything but those three words. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

I fell to my knees. It wasn't a lie. It was never a lie. Itachi loved me. It was a fact. It was 100% true. He loved me.

I heard a crash and darted to the living room.

Itachi had fallen again.

He groaned in pain and struggled to sit up.

I knelt over him and held his shoulders. "What do I do?!"

He smirked slightly, "Nothing… I just took my medicine. It won't kick in for a while yet…"

I managed to get him upright. He coughed hard as I maneuvered him onto the bed.

I sat beside him him and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

My chakra laced through my fingers and I pressed them to his chest.

He closed his eyes and smiled sadly. "That isn't going to work."

I felt a tear work its way over my cheek. "Itachi…"

He looked up and smiled slightly. "I won't say it doesn't hurt."

I leaned over him and shouted, "This is your own fault! Where are the others?!"

He chuckled, "Why would I need ten other guys watching me confess to you?"

I laughed slightly through my own tears. He was obviously in so much pain. How he faked it so well against Sasuke I'll never understand.

He smiled at me through the pain.

I couldn't take it anymore. I simply couldn't.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him to me.

I cried hard. Long minutes passed. The rain continued to pour outside.

I felt his body finally begin to relax. His right hand touched my back.

"Morgan, I'm fine… the medicine has kicked in now…"

I pulled back.

Light shined in through the window.

"When can you move?"

He stood shakily, "Now."

I glared, "Stay put. I will be RIGHT back."

He nodded and I darted from the room.

I made it to Naruto's room as fast as I could.

He opened his eyes slightly as I ran in.

He saw the tears on my face and sat up quickly.

"What's going on?"

I smiled slightly as the tears continued to fall, "I am going home, Naruto… I'm going back where I belong."

He smiled, "See ya…"

I tackled him in a hug and cried, "Bye!"

He fell back and lay on his cot.

"Everything will turn out fine, Morgan…"

I nodded and grabbed my things.

~Others in the meeting~

Pein: Kisame… have you heard anything from Itachi?

Kisame: No.

…

Kisame: Hang on a sec… I have to exit for a second…

~Kisame~

Radio: Kisame?

Kisame: Morgan! Where are you?! Is Itachi with you?

Morgan: I… I can't say where I am, but Itachi and I will be back at the base as soon as possible.

Kisame: What?! Where are you now?! What's going on?!

Morgan: I'll see you at the base.

And that was all.

~Meeting~

Kisame: Morgan and Itachi are on their way back to the base.

Pein: Then that's the end of it… Mission closed. Everyone fall back to the base.

Everyone: Yessir!

Deidara: YES MADI! THEY FOUND MORGAN AND WE ARE GOING HOME. NO, WE CANNOT STOP FOR DANGO. OKAY FINE, WE'LL STOP! WE'LL STOP!


	73. Chapter 73

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 73**

Itachi seemed to be getting stronger as we went. I supported his weight best I could.

I stopped and dropped down to rest.

Itachi sat down a little bit away from me.

Those words still rung in my head.

The man sitting across from me loved me. What should I say? What should I do?

Itachi chuckled slightly, "You don't have to say anything yet."

I glanced up in shock. He smirked. "The pills have kicked in all the way now. Let's move."

I stood and watched as he stood just as easily as me.

I reached to take his arm to support him again as we walked.

Shock flashed over me as Itachi's arms grabbed me up from the ground.

One hand was in the crook of my knees and the other just below my neck.

He smirked, "Never said I wasn't going to try and win you over."

I felt a blush creep across my cheeks as Itachi began to run.

We were moving through the trees at a dangerous pace.

I wasn't used to being carried like this. I screamed and clutched my arms around his neck in fright.

He laughed. Not a chuckle. He was not snickering… He was laughing.

I blinked in shock.

"You might want to close your eyes."

I started to ask why at the same time as he sped up.

At that point, I'd somehow moved from him holding me to his back, with me clinging on for dear life.

He began to slow down and stop.

I jumped off and felt all dizzy.

"Morgan!"

Eh?

I looked up.

The base was in sight and Madi was… running to meet me.

How did we get here so… FAST?!

The others were walking outside.

Kisame ran up to Itachi's face, "Did you do it?!"

Itachi whispered something in his ear and he looked to me.

(Thought: Itachi loves me)

I felt my cheeks heat up.

Kisame's eyes widened.

I turned to Madi.

She shouted, "Where'd you go?! Who were you with?! I want to know!"

I laughed slightly, "I was with an old friend."

Itachi didn't know that. He seemed more interested.

(Itachi's thought behind his composed face: SHE WAS WITH SOMEONE?!)

Madi looked concerned, "Why did you run off?"

I laughed and everyone looked to me. I wagged my finger at them and cooed as sweetly as possible, "Because you people stress the heck out of me~!"

Most of them groaned or fell to the ground anime-style, and Pein made his way to me.

"I need a word."

I felt panic creep into me, but I left the others to follow him inside.

~Conversation~

Pein: As to the request you mentioned earlier… I cannot let you.

I cringed.

Me: Why not?!

Pein: You are not fully Akatsuki, for one. And two… you ran away. I can't trust the one-tail to you all alone.

Me: Okay…

Pein: Now… after this Itachi fiasco… who are you traveling with? You must leave tomorrow.

Me: Ah… When are Sasori and Deidara going after the Jinchurikki?

Pein: Tomorrow.

I grimaced.

Me: I am going with them on that mission… but I'm not sure who I want to stay with.

Pein: I see… You have until the end of this mission to decide. Dismissed.

I walked outside and Madi darted up to me. "What happened?"

I smiled sadly. "I'm going on a mission tomorrow…"

Pein walked out of his office, "Madi… for the time being, I am pairing you with Hidan and Kakuzu.

Madi looked startled, "NO WAY!"

Pein gave her a strict look and she obeyed. *mutter, mutter*

I laughed slightly at her and asked, "Where am I staying?"

Pein frowned, "I would stick you with Konan and Madi, but the room is too small. After the Deidara incident you cannot stay with him… Your choice."

I grimaced. Deidara, Konan, and Madi were out.

"Sasori's room, please!"

Pein smirked, "Right. I will inform him of this. But, as a request, please don't do anything else weird."

I stuck my tongue out playfully and he chuckled.

I heard footsteps as Madi and Pein left.

Kisame saw me and grinned. "Morgan! Hold up a sec!"

I groaned. Here we go…

He darted up to my side, "So?!"

I covered my eyes and hunched my shoulders. " 'So' what, Kisame?"

"Did he confess?!"

"Yeah."

"So you're going out, then?!"

"No."

"NO?! WHAT?!"

I sighed, "I never actually… responded to him…"

Kisame looked shocked, "WHAT?!"

I glared, "Well, I have to go and check into my room and bug the crap out of my roommate to move his crap."

"HIS?! WHO ARE YOU STAYING WITH NOW?!"

I mentally banged my head on a wall. "Sasori. Now go away. Madi need you or something…"

Kisame walked off and I escaped into the south hall.

Sasori met me in the hall as Pein passes us. He had told Sasori about me.

The redhead closed his book and glanced at me. "You DO know I don't sleep, right?"

I chuckled and scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, I knew that… But I can't go with anyone else, can I?"

He sighed and thought out loud, "Deidara and Konan are out, I suppose Kisame and Itachi are inappropriate as well… I wouldn't force a dead cat on Hidan or Kakuzu… Tobi is a moron… and Zetsu will eat you. I see it now. Well, fine then. You can have my bed. I don't use it anyway."

I thanked him and he lead me to his room.

He picked things up as he went along.

"That desk is my work area. Please don't touch anything. If you get poisoned, I doubt I could fix up an antidote in time."

I nodded and he gestured to the door.

"Come and go as you please."

I left the room and walked on down the hall. Tobi met me.

"Tobi wants Morgan-chan's cooking!"

I smiled at him and ruffled his hair, "Sure…"

Without really thinking about it I began fixing dinner. Tobi sat on the counter beside me for a while. He jabbered on about how he hadn't searched for me at all because he KNEW I was going to come back.

I ignored him until he got bored and waddled out to bug someone else. From the shouts I'd say he was torturing Madi and Deidara.

The steam rose into the shaft above my head and I closed my eyes.

I thought to myself and planned out everything for the next mission.

Time was going to be tight. Of course, I wouldn't be needed until after the Deidara-Gaara fight. Sasori had to die… That much I was certain of. But I had to be there… I had to see him go… I had to make sure there wasn't a way out.

I opened my eyes and stared bleakly down into the boiling ramen, feeling the steam rise up on my face.

A back landed beside me as someone leaned on the cabinets.

I glanced over.

"You need something, Itachi?"

He saw my tired eyes and stated, "You're going to get wrinkles like that."

I smirked. "Oh yeah, well look at yourself!"

He smirked and looked away. His eyes closed. "I guess I shouldn't be one to talk."

I laughed at him and he nodded, "That's better. It's good to see you happy again."

I smiled and drained the water from the pot.

Itachi watched without a word.

I ignored him. Growing up with a little brother 4 years younger than me… I was quite good at tuning people out.

Tobi could be seen sliding past the door. Deidara's bombs exploded and shook the walls. Dust fell all over Madi as she chased them both. *cough, hack, cough* "GET BACK HERE!"

I chuckled.

"Pein told me about you choosing Sasori's team." Itachi stated.

At least Pein had gone through with that end of our deal. Only Sasori and Deidara were meant to know I was only going on this one mission with them, that I hadn't actually chosen a team yet.

I nodded and finished up with dinner.

He looked at me tensely, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "You are going after the Jinchurikki with them."

I smirked, "Is that a problem?"

He responded without much emotion, "I don't like it."

I smirked more, "That is not your problem."

"In my opinion it is."

"In my opinion you should just let it go."

In a rougher tone he stated, "You should not go with them."

"You should not tell me what to do."

His eyes flashed.

Pushing his buttons was fun, but I wondered when he would snap. It was just a bit of revenge for scaring the crap out of me on the way here…

His tone had grown louder. "I am only saying this because it is true."

I didn't look at him as I continued to make dinner. "In your opinion."

His fist slammed into the counter. "Dammit! Listen to me!"

I turned and smirked, "Hm? What were we talking about? I wasn't listening."

He could tell I was messing with his head, but couldn't keep from being annoyed.

He made a move to say something and I shouted, "Dinner is ready!"

He never got his chance to nag me! That was more stress relieving than running off! *evil laughter*


	74. Chapter 74

**Yep. Massive chapter dump. Go back and read chapter 71-73 :(**

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 74**

I walked on with Deidara and Sasori. My head was in the clouds (figuratively).

My day dreams revolved mainly around my parting with the others.

Each one had a different strange goodbye.

Hidan's goodbye: Waking me up at three a.m. only to tell me bye. -_-'

Kakuzu's goodbye: Lifting a bag of money to me. Lowering his arm. And trying again and again to give me money. I ended up not taking it. -_-'

Madi's goodbye: *bursting into tears* DON'T LEAVE ME WITH THEM!

Konan's goodbye: A hug and a pinch on my cheek. "Be good 'kay?" -_-'

Pein's goodbye: … Well… he just kinda waved.

Tobi's goodbye: Latching onto my leg, calling me mama, and crying his eyes out for me to stay. -_-'

Zetsu's goodbye: A creepy grin and the present of a microphone connected to him and Tobi. Joy. (I ditched it in the bottom of my bag.)

Kisame's goodbye: A threat to Deidara to stay away from me and a smirk at me.

Itachi: (Exact words) I… *blush* Um… Well… *blush redder*… I lo… *reddest yet* See you… *walks off really fast* (He reminded me of a tomato.)

Me: WTF?!

Sasori dragged me from day dream land.

"So here we go…"

I nodded, "How far to the desert?"

Deidara pointed ahead. "Do you see how the vegetation slips away like that? It will steadily become desert."

With a smile I followed them.

Sasori was inside his dang puppet. I think seeing him like that is creepy.

Deidara was walking beside me.

I enjoyed the feeling of being between my two friends as we walked. We said nothing… that is, until we entered the desert.

My Akatsuki cloak was pulled about my shoulders and I pulled my hat further forward on my head. I curled my hands inside the safety of the sleeves and followed a step or two behind them.

Sasori glanced at Deidara.

"Are you sure you have enough in that bag to take out the Jinchurikki, Deidara?"

Deidara chuckled as the wind blew his cloak open to reveal another bag, "Of course. I even brought along my masterpiece, Sasori no Danna."

Sasori nodded his puppet head.

It felt so strange to see them all so… well, like the show. I hadn't really been in the story line much, but no it begins! Sasori and Deidara VS the Sand village! CHEA!

The village slowly came into view. I glanced up at the sturdy walls and knew that all of the men waiting there for us were already dead.

I closed my eyes. Even though I knew what was about to happen… I couldn't resist.

"Be careful, Deidara."

"Hm…"

We approached the gates and Sasori's inside man met us.

He eyed me ever so slightly and both of my friends glared at him.

He didn't say anything to me and they began the episode conversation. I just stood behind and watched.

We walked on through the gate.

All the men we passed… some groaned to let me know they were alive… some weren't as lucky.

I silently hoped that they would turn out fine.

We stopped just inside the gates.

Deidara smirked.

His giant bird poofed up from a little one and he hopped onto its back.

I looked up at him and he smirked.

He said his lines to Sasori and then glanced to me. "I'll be back soon… Stay HERE."

I smiled as he took to the skies.

Poor Gaara…

I leaned on the gates and watched the sand attack Deidara.

I was silently in awe. I'd seen this episode more than I cared to… I had almost every explosion memorized.

My heart did squeal at the newer things the show had missed. This was only different through Deidara's POV.

I noticed that as he dropped the huge bomb, Gaara would have to pull the shield up where it would protect the city nearest me first.

I smiled, knowing he did this to help me.

I sat down and closed my eyes.

It would all be over soon.

My body shook as I saw the ball Gaara was in.

I wanted to scream at Gaara to watch out, but… that could be fatal to Deidara…

Deidara's laugh rang out over the city as he yelled his catchphrase… as his attack hit Gaara…

All I heard was… "ART IS A BANG! AHAHAHAHA!"

I closed my eyes tighter and tighter until no light made it through the cracks.

I didn't want to see Deidara with Gaara… I really didn't…

Wings flapped over my head and I opened my eyes.

I gaped at how messed up Deidara was.

He smirked, "Got him, yeah!"

I smiled weakly. His arm looked so much worse up close…

Sasori grumbled, "You're late."

Deidara had an irritated look on his face. "At least I got mine!"

For a half second, I wondered which Jinchurikki would be mine when I realized ANOTHER thing… Naruto.

I threw that thought from my mind as fast and as hard as possible.

"Let us go, Morgan."

I nodded and follow them out the gate.

Our next obstacle was going to be Konkuro.

I could hear him running up behind us, though he was silent.

"Give Gaara back!"

I turned to face him with the others.

His eyes were angry and panicked.

I saw the raw pain in his eyes.

I stepped up beside Gaara and watched Sasori fight.

Konkuro eventually fell, and his eyes widened when he noticed me.

"A girl?" He muttered in shock.

I smiled slightly. "See ya…"

The poison started causing him pain, and I had to look away.

I stood beside Gaara in the cave as the other members entered into the meeting to seal his demon.

I knelt beside him and gripped his hand in mine.

"You don't know me, but I will promise you something right now… You will survive this. That I am sure of. If you can hear my voice, remember that. Good luck, Kazekage-sama…"

Sasori sighed, "This is the exact reason why we wrote innocence on your ring, Morgan. Talking to the Jinchurikki and telling it everything will be fine… He's about to be dead."

I smiled slightly at Gaara.

Yeah… he'll live.

Itachi glanced to me. "Pein-sama…"

He nodded, "Let us commence with the sealing."

"Hai."

Three days of this… three days of watching Gaara die.

I turned on my heel and marched outside.

I wish Madi was here to talk to me.

In fact… I wished ANYONE was here to talk to me.

I leaned back on a rock and slowly fell asleep. Maybe sleep would keep Gaara off my brain and Sasori's death locked in its box.

A dream took over my senses.

People cried. I could feel their presences around me. My heightened ninja skills caught all the feelings around me. Pain echoed through the sobs. Screams showered me in fright. It felt as though hands were gripping mine, but all I could see was black. I heard a separate voice. "MORGAN!"

I shot awake and jumped to my feet.

I breathed hard as I leaned back on the rock.

I slowly regained my composure. I finally had an answer. I finally knew how I could help Sasori without affecting the storyline.

I re-entered the cave and stared up at my partners.

I rested on the wall in there and closed my eyes.

I felt a few pairs of eyes on me, but ignored them.

I never thought I could be so excited to fight.

Maybe it was that weird dream… Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through me from my name being shouted in the dream. Who knows? But I was dying for a fight.

Of course... Sasori's survival rate was still only 3%... but it was much better than 0%.


	75. Chapter 75

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 75**

Three days was a long time to wait… I darted around outside laying the traps. I had the ones from the show ready and some others just in case. My ring shined on my finger. The kanji seemed to glow. A signal? Someone was messaging me? It _was_ a special ring.

I was a total of ten miles away from the sealing statue. The kanji blinked blue and I cringed. It was my first time being summoned and I had no idea what to do… It hurt.

I dropped to the ground and felt the ring pull my mind away from my body.

I managed to sit up into a position where my hands were in the sign of the ram.

"What?!" I demanded in confusion when I opened my eyes in the cave.

Pein glanced my way, "So, the ring does work. Zetsu has found something near you."

I frowned. Near me? "Pardon?"

"An enemy from Konoha is approaching our hideout. He appears to be very skilled. He goes by the name… Maito Gai."

I frowned. Not that I was worried at all, but…

"Who's that?"

"He's a Jounin from the Leaf who specializes in Taijutsu. He is not to be considered a ham."

"Freak." Kisame added.

I chuckled and someone looked to me, "What do you think of him?"

I smirked. "He's a complete moron. All the same… he's strong."

Pein seemed to think before stating, "I will use that jutsu then…"

The Akatsuki began to argue over who would go after him. Ah… the joy of already knowing~!

Pein nodded in Kisame's direction. "Your vast amount of chakra seems suitable for the Akatsuki. You should be able to deal with his type well. All the same… I will need 30% of your chakra."

I nodded as Kisame and Itachi "left" the meeting.

Pein looked to me. "I should explain what they are doing."

"No need. I understand. If you don't mind… I would like to return to my body. I am being surrounded by birds and I really don't want them to lay eggs on me. I'll be right back!"

Everyone chuckled and my mind returned to my body.

My hands parted and I smacked away the pigeons. "SHOO!"

Sitting alone on the ground, I sighed to myself, thinking of what was to come. And so the end has begun… wonderful…

~Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Granny~

Kakashi frowned as he jumped to the next tree. "Sakura…"

The girl glanced to him with caution. Was he warning of an attack? Or about to add to the Jinchurikki story?

Instead, his eyes dropped sadly. "Sakura… I want you to be prepared. In case "she" is there."

Sakura gaped a moment. "Konkuro did say…"

Kakashi nodded, "He said there were three people after Gaara. Sasori of the Red Sand, an explosive ninja… and a girl. It is very likely that it is her."

The pink haired kunoichi clenched her fists into balls. "Hai sensei…"

Naruto glanced back at them. "Who?"

Kakashi closed his eyes briefly. "She was in the Leaf while you were gone. She was just a soul who missed a beat."

Sakura smiled painfully, "More like we pushed her off beat…"

Naruto looked confused. "And she joined Akatsuki?"

Sakura nodded. "She was never a bad person… just… misunderstood."

Naruto glared at the trees in front of them. "If she's good like you say, then maybe we can bring her back!"

Kakashi shook his head sadly. "I have the feeling that if we tried… she might truly turn against us."

The comrades looked to one another and concentrated on moving the fastest through the trees.

~Morgan~

After returning to the meeting, I stared up at Gaara. The amazing jutsu had swallowed him whole and was sucking away at his remaining life.

I frowned. It was hard to take.

The statue's eyes began to open and I grimaced.

Zetsu's voice echoed from the shadows, "There's another… Shinobi of the Leaf."

Pein looked around the circle of holograms, "Who is next, then?"

My eyes widened.

"I'm out."

I faded back to my real body again and jerked to my feet.

 _Itachi…_

I shrugged the thought away and began my descent to the statue cave. It was almost time.

~Itachi~

I had Naruto in my Genjutsu. Though it would be more my style to just knock him out… I was stalling for time more than trying for his demon.

"Don't worry… I won't use the Mongekyou Sharingan. Or it would be more correct to say I can't at the moment."

My Sharingan didn't have enough chakra in this side body for the Mongekyou.

"Now… Just drop off to sleep for me… Naruto-kun."

His chakra spiked as he tries to free himself of the jutsu.

"Still weak…" I stated.

My jutsu swirled and trapped him further. My crows turned to shuriken and struck his body. I could see the pain in his face.

He still tried to free himself, but I let him fall farther and farther into my grip.

And then my jutsu was lost due to the old woman and girl.

I re-planned my tactics.

~Morgan~

STUPID RING! I have decided that I really hate this ring. I was being called in again… I was just to the door as I slid inside and the summoning stopped. GAH!

Pein stated, "The jutsu has been released. We've been able to recover just enough time… Good job Kisame, Itachi."

Sasori huffed angrily, "You say that so simply… but both bodies used and lost were MY subordinates."

Pein passed him off with a hmph before amending his statement, "With my jutsu, they were able to be Akatsuki for a short time… they should be thankful."

"Almost there, isn't it?"

I cringed and looked to Gaara.

Why couldn't this be over sooner? I couldn't take it anymore…

Deidara glanced to me and sighed, "Stay calm, Morgan. We are almost through."

I nodded and leaned on the wall with my eyes focused on Gaara.

I listened as Pein began to speak again.

"Dispose of the bodies I used in my jutsu, Zetsu."

"Understood…"

"Itachi…"

I glanced up.

"How many and who are coming?"

"Konoha ninja Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, and the Jinchurikki Uzumaki Naruto, as well as a sand representative, Chiyo… four people in total."

Sasori's eyes widened at his grandmother's name.

I leaned on the wall and glanced up to the shadowy figures of the Akatsuki. Tobi and Madi were missing as usual.

Gaara fell. Pein's voice stated the words that also echoed in my mind. "It is done."

The presence of Gai's team was felt from outside.

I let my eyes close. I focused my chakra. Let me do this right… Let me do something for Sasori… please…

"It's getting fairly noisy outside…"

"Didn't you say there was another Jinchurikki outside? Don't think badly of me Itachi…" Sasori added.

Itachi remained silent and I tried to prepare myself for the fight.

I listened to Gai and Kakashi outside. The time had come. All my old friends… Sakura… Neji… Lee… Naruto… Kakashi… They were right outside that entrance.

Pein spoke, "Sasori, Deidara, and Morgan… I leave those outside to you. Capture the Jinchurikki alive. The rest of you… scatter."

I nodded to him as his eyes scanned over me.

Sasori stopped Itachi with a question. "Itachi… what kind of person is the nine tails' holder?"

Itachi seemed to hesitate, but at Pein's command he stated, "He is the one to bark first and think later."

Sasori looked irritated. "Is that all?"

Deidara echoed him. "Is that all? You don't have anything more specific?"

Itachi's eyes shifted to me before he left them meeting, returning to his real body.

Sasori made a rude sound.

Pein gave us one last look. "I'll be waiting for your response."

The sealing statue disappeared, and Sasori and Deidara jumped down near Gaara.

I walked over towards them. Here we go…

We stood and faced the entrance. Waiting. It was all I could do lately…

Sasori glanced to me. "Good luck, Morgan-chan… these will be your people attacking."

I nodded. "Yours as well."

He chuckled, "I know. Let us begin."

The wall caved in.

-!-

 **I can't remember how I originally spelled 'Mangekyou'. Was it 'Mangekyo' or 'Mangekyou'? For continuity's sake, if anyone remembers and it needs to be changed, let me know!**

 **Also, when I went back to make sure how many chapters I owed, I discovered that I must have been too ahead of schedule. As a result, only chapters 75-84 are being posted so that the Christmas Special actually lands on Christmas. Sorry I promised so many extra chapters :( And sorry for the cliffhangers. At least updates are back on regular schedule!**


	76. Chapter 76

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 76**

"Use me!" I screamed. "Use me!"

Sasori's eyes widened. "Morgan!"

"I said not to use that jutsu! Use me!"

He looked stunned as he asked, "As my… puppet?"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "Yes, Sasori, use me!"

I jerked my head to our opponents. Sakura was breathing hard. Her eyes glared into mine. I knew how hard she was trying. But it was my turn now.

I turned to him. "You can feel it, right? Before you go… please… use me."

His head lowered where I couldn't see his eyes, but he smirked.

He chuckled and I felt the chains of chakra latch onto me.

He nodded. "Let's see what you can do, Morgan-chan."

I smiled at my opponents as Sasori moved his hands.

Chiyo gaped at me.

I swung at Sakura, my chakra lacing my fist.

The sheer amount burned her hair.

She took a step back. I kicked. She dodged. I elegantly swirled around and pounded the sides of my fists into Sakura's back.

She gasped and coughed.

Sasori's strings pulled me back. My body, which could not keep up since that incident before… I was moving better than I imagined.

Sakura shouted, "Why are you with him, Morgan?! Why?!"

I closed my eyes. "He is my friend. You would save Naruto even if he got into a fight over his head, right? Look at this from my point of view. SASORI IS MY FRIEND! I CANNOT SIT BY AND WATCH HIM DIE!"

Sasori's strings detached from my body for an instant and I launched at Sakura.

My spikes flew towards her from the walls and ground like jaws.

Chiyo attacked with her last two remaining puppets, the mother and the father.

I saw them coming but couldn't move to dodge them. I cursed.

My spikes were moving for Sakura, and Chiyo's puppets for me.

I yelled, "GO SASORI! GET OUT!" And I closed my eyes.

~Earlier~

I watched the boulders fall to the ground in front of me.

My eyes scanned over the newcomers. Naruto spotted Gaara immediately, his gaze falling short of me.

Sakura and Kakashi saw me, thought. Sakura mouthed my name. Kakashi's eyes fell.

I glared at them and kept my back straight. Sasori and Chiyo eyed each other. Deidara glanced to me before looking back to our new 'guests'. He spoke to me without looking in my direction, "I wonder which the Jinchurikki is…"

Naruto screamed, "YOU!"

I sighed, "That would be him…"

Sasori chuckled, "Apparently."

Naruto's face contorted in agony. "GET UP GAARA! DON'T JUST LIE THERE! GET UP! THERE ARE OTHERS WAITING FOR YOU AND YOU ARE JUST LYING HERE?! GET UP!"

Kakashi sighed. "Hold on, Naruto… You should understand by now."

Deidara chuckled, "You should understand… He's dead. Heh."

Sasori looked to Deidara. "He seems as innocent as Morgan."

Naruto's eyes shot to me. They widened as he recognized me.

"Morgan?!"

Deidara cooed, "Ooh… so he knows you? I should have guessed."

I kept my voice absolutely neutral. "Nice to see you, Naruto-kun…"

He blinked. "What… what are you doing here?!"

I laughed slightly, almost silently. I talked as easily as if I'd been purring to a kitten, "I am a member of Akatsuki." Close enough, anyway. It had the effect I needed.

His eyes widened more and more, until I thought they could actually be dish plates inside his skull.

Sakura gaped, "You know each other?!"

Naruto took a step forward. He shook his head no. He wanted to clear it from his mind. It was hurting him. He hated this.

I smiled at him, though I was trembling inside. It felt awful to hurt him, but he needed to hear it. "I helped kill Gaara."

Fury danced in his eyes. "LIAR! YOU COULDN'T DO SUCH A THING!"

I spoke with as much venom as I could, "Gaara is dead because of me, Naruto."

He still shook his head no.

I smirked mockingly, "You told me to go home, didn't you?"

He looked utterly destroyed, like I'd betrayed him.

I sighed, "Well, what if the Akatsuki are my home? What are you going to do? Are you going to rip me from my home and take me to yours? I don't do that. I will not go with anyone."

He looked at me desperately. "Morgan… but… Gaara… he…"

I knelt beside Deidara. His eyes looked over me as he grinned. I lifted up Gaara's head in my hands.

"See Naruto-chan… d.e.a.d. Understand?"

I had to make him hate me. I had to.

His head lowered slightly.

"Give… give Gaara back."

I gently placed Gaara's head back on the ground and pressed my fingers to his kanji.

Naruto lifted his head and glared straight at me. "GIVE ME GAARA!" He charged at us with tears in his eyes.

Kakashi stopped his attack. "Cool it. You run in there and we are all dead."

Sakura shook her head despairingly, "Why Morgan? Why you?"

I smiled at her kindly… sweetly. "This is my job."

Sasori stated, "I will hold onto the body, as the boy seems more than interested in it."

Deidara chuckled and eyed me happily. "No offense Sasori, and I know this isn't what you want to hear, but… I will handle the bratty Jinchurikki, m'kay?"

"Sasori… I would just like to point out… I'm not good with flying on Deidara's bird. You willing to pit me up against a Jinchurikki with him?" I asked.

Sasori muttered under his breath and Deidara saluted me. "See you then, Morgan!"

Naruto pulled a scroll from his pack and a giant shuriken poofed out.

He threw it at us as we argued. "STOP AND LISTEN TO ME!"

My chakra spike shot from the ground and shatter it into a million pieces.

Naruto look shocked. I just continued on with our talk.

"Or you both could go and leave me three on one. Your choice."

Sasori glared at Deidara.

"Go."

Deidara's bird picked Gaara up in its mouth.

Deidara laughed as he jumped onto its back, "Watch Morgan kill more than you!"

Sasori's tail shot up and Deidara flew away on his bird, snickering.

I laughed. Sasori muttered, "Sheesh… just don't keep me waiting too long."

Naruto glanced back to me and then frantically to Gaara. He called his old friend's name and shot out after him. Kakashi glared at us and stated, "I leave these two in your hands, Sakura, Chiyo…", and he ran out after Naruto.

I glanced to Sasori. "You ready?"

He nodded his puppet head. "It is time to teach the teacher how much her pupil has grown."

I chuckled, "You mean how old you've grown? You've definitely done that!"

He growled at me good-naturedly and I laughed. "Just kidding! But seriously… have you caught termites yet?"

I dodged his tail and smiled. "Now that your mind is off old times… let's do this."

He nodded slightly. "Yeah…"

Chiyo stated, "Stay calm, Sakura. I am here with you."

The woman's arms reached into her outfit and she pulled out a string of kunai that she threw at us.

All of my spikes shot up and threw them back towards her. She dodged easily. I smirked.

I glanced over to Sasori. "She had chakra strings attached to them, Sasori…"

He nodded and asked for me to stay put. I stood there and waited.

After a bit of fighting, I sighed. "You know. That cloak of yours sure is annoying."

He sighed and the tail easily split the cloak apart and showed the shield.

Sakura's eyes widened.

Sasori stated, "If that is how you want to play… both you and the girl will join my collection."

He began the description of the making of puppets and I sighed.

I mouthed the words as he said them. "Entrails… blagh, blagh… puppet blagh, blagh…"

I smiled, "Confused Sakura? Ask Chiyo."

She looked to the old woman, who glared at me before turning to Sakura. "That is not Sasori's real body. That is a puppet…"

~Fast forward to AFTER the long and boring explanation…~

The two women ran at us. Sasori pulled the cloth down from around his mouth and weapons shot out.

I waited and watched in silence.

Sasori moved to attack Sakura with his tail.

I jump forward at Sakura as well. Sasori's tail suddenly froze. I pushed back the confusion and attacked anyway.

Both of our fists laced with chakra and we aimed for each other.

She roared, "MORGAN!"

I screamed, "SAKURA!"

I felt something happen to my legs.

I froze in my charge and my attacking fist was pulled to my side.

Sakura's fist pounded into my stomach and I coughed.

I was thrown backwards and into Sasori.

Sakura ran forward and pounded me through Sasori's shell and into his lap.

I coughed blood.

Sasori grabbed me under my arms and jumped with me back to safety.

I coughed. "She… must have gotten me when I stopped the kunai… but I blocked them so easily. They were nowhere near me…"

Sasori eyed me, then looked to Chiyo, "A shard must have hit my tail as well… I wasn't even aware until it stalled on me." So the woman was THAT good…

He stood and shielded me with himself, turning to face our opponents.

"I guess I should have expected that at the very least. No wonder the brat made it, and Morgan was injured."

The chakra strings Chiyo had attached to me were cut away by Sasori, and Sakura prepared for another attack.

He sighed, "Though… you also stalled my tail with that chakra."

My eyes widened as it clicked.

He looked to me slightly. "The moment when you broke her attack, several extremely tiny shards hit both you and my tail."

I growled. Dang it!

The woman smirked. "And I worked so hard to hide it, too."

Sasori thanked her for teaching him and Chiyo shot back a challenge.

I stood and held my stomach. At least I was able to minimize the damage by beginning to heal myself before Sakura's fist made contact…

Sasori shredded his cover.

I wiped the blood that was dripping from the corner of my mouth and smirked. This fight was far from over.


	77. Chapter 77

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 77**

"You still think this will be so easy, Granny?"

I smiled, "Ooh… suspense…!"

I straightened my back and approached him.

He nodded. "Suspense was always a fun trick to use."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, my English teacher always said so… I wonder if I can do it…?"

Sasori rolled his eyes. I grinned at him and turned to face the others.

Sakura gaped, "That's Sasori? But… he's not old."

I cooed, "He isn't old on the outside, anyway!"

Sasori glared at me. I just kept smiling.

"Let me show you my favorite, Granny. I do think you will admire my skill on this one. After all… he was quite the human."

She looked shocked.

I eyed Sasori out of the corner of my eye. He was enjoying her shock. I sighed., mentally preparing for the really long and boring explanation…

~Skip to the end of the long dialogue on the identity of the puppet~

I sighed, "Mind getting to work? This talking is getting us nowhere."

He nodded, "It is time to finish this…"

His puppet launched at them.

I ducked under it and prepared to use my own jutsu.

Sasori sighed as Hiruko's tail was used as a shield and destroyed. Now it was my turn.

My chakra spikes shot up from the ground.

Sakura twisted so she could use my spike to push off and land beside Chiyo.

I glared at her. She was getting good.

Using my attack as a distraction, Sasori released his.

Arms stretched out from the puppet, arms multiplying until the attack was rather long range. The rainbow arch of puppet arms aimed for Sakura.

Chiyo's chakra strings pulled Sakura into the right position to dodge the attack.

I charged at the woman and shouted loudly as I aimed for her head.

The woman went to move her puppets, only to find the black sand already in place.

My fist was an inch from winning when something happened.

A severed section of Sasori's destroyed tail shot up from the ground and pierced my palm.

I jerked back. The woman had used her chakra strings to pull the shard into my hand.

I felt my arm go numb. The poison was setting in.

Sasori darted forward and gathered me in his arms.

His Kazekage puppet moved and more sand was pulled into view. Sasori used that bit of eye candy as a distraction to move me to safe ground. He stood in front of me, my hand in his as he examined the cut.

"Damn it…"

The old woman tsked and glanced to the puppet mother and father. She noted the sand dripping from them and stated to Sakura, "That sand is magnetic… it has taken control of my puppets."

Sakura looked to me as I struggled to sit up. I clutched my arm to my side and groaned in pain.

Sasori sighed. "Your chakra is fighting to work the poison back… You don't have long left before your body goes completely numb. Though, anyone else would already be out."

He seemed to think for a moment. "Left alone, you would last 3 days. As soon as our fight is over, I will make you a dose of antidote. Until then…"

I nodded and stood without his help. "Until it sets in… I will fight."

"We'll do this together."

I nodded and walked to his side.

His magnetic sand morphed into the shapes. My spikes formed all around us.

Sakura looked shocked. She was so slow sometimes…

Chiyo sighed, "I've gotten us into quite the situation, no?"

Sakura looked to her.

She continued, "It seems… you will have to rely on me until you see the opportunity to run, Sakura-chan."

Sakura clenched a gloved hand in front of her as she glared straight into my eyes.

She seemed to decide something. I smirked at her.

I felt my left leg go slightly numb. I pushed more chakra into it to burn off the poison.

"Use me, Chiyo."

The old woman looked shocked.

Sasori glanced to me.

His eyes seemed to speak to me. He paused before stating, "There's something you should know about me, Morgan-chan…"

I gave him a shocked look and he laughed slightly.

"When I say to… read the scroll hidden in the metallic rope coil in my stomach area, seeing as I can't explain out loud."

I nodded and glared at the two women as they readied themselves.

Sasori turned to them and sighed, "Again? How boring… Fine then. Bring it on."

His giant magnetic sand shapes flew forward towards the charging Sakura.

The point of the triangle narrowed into a huge arrow.

Sakura managed to avoid a hit and it plunged through the far wall.

I coughed from the poison and ended my spike jutsu to conserve chakra.

Sasori smirked. "All for show, was it?"

I laughed. "Yep. You have total control of the battle as of this instant."

He nodded. "Read it now."

He stopped moving his body and I knelt in front of him.

My fingers searched and found the hidden scroll.

I pulled it out and hid behind a boulder to read it.

Sasori muttered, "I'd say you have three minutes before I will need you to pay full attention."

I nodded.

The paper rustled open and I scanned over it. My eyes widened. I reread it. I gasped. I read it three more times. My mind couldn't grasp it.

I managed to scramble to Sasori's side.

"Are you serious?!"

He nodded. "I meant to tell you earlier, so I used an opportunity inside Hiruko to write it for you. I mean every word."

I glared at him. "Are you insane?!"

He smirked, "Most likely."

I slipped to the side as the rectangle shape was thrown back at us. It soared past me before Sasori regained control.

He nodded to Sakura, "Nice punch, kid."

I used that chance to sprout up my spikes in front of us.

They instantly morphed to the form I wanted. Camouflage. My newest version.

It resembled normal rock and hid me well enough.

I gaped at Sasori from here as my body weakened slightly in the fingers.

My chakra flushed the numbness out and I moved back to Sasori's side.

"Are you sure…?"

He nodded, smiling gently.

I lowered my eyes. "As… as you wish, Sasori no Danna."

His smile grew as he joined the rectangle and triangle together. "Thank you, Morgan-san."

I laughed. "No need for the san… the usual fits me best."

He chuckled.

The objects collided and the needles shot down to the earth.

I noted the pattern. I felt the poison take my left pinky on my right hand. I glared in frustration.

Sakura gasped as the spikes slammed down all around her.

I took a step forward.

"Sakura! Are you alright?!" Chiyo yelled in worry.

Blood dripped from the wounds on Sakura's body.

I closed my eyes and felt my posture waver.

Now we were both poisoned… oh, how I wanted that antidote. It felt as though my whole body was on fire now as I fought to keep the poison at bay…

Sakura fell to the ground in a façade. I smiled.

Sasori's puppet shot at her. There was no need for me to enter tha fight.

Sakura's fist smashed it to pieces.

Sasori watched in confusion. "She… made an antidote?"

I smiled. "She's annoying but she has a brain…"

My left leg trembled under me and I gasped slightly.

Sasori growled, "So she has another antidote. Morgan, I let you read the scroll. I have no doubt the others will be here soon. But… that might be the only antidote I could get you… they might not stop at me."

I looked to him and smiled weakly. "No way, Sasori-san. Let's do this the right way. No cheats."

He nodded, helping me stand. His chakra spilled into my body and I pushed it to my numb leg. It helped somewhat and I leaned on a rock to help me keep standing.

Damn that poison.


	78. Chapter 78

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 78**

Sakura breathed hard as she healed Chiyo's body.

I glanced at Sasori. "Sasori no Danna… I…"

I closed my eyes in frustration at my weakness. "I'm not ready to fight yet. Can you give me five more minutes?"

He nodded, "Of course."

He began to shred his last Akatsuki cloak.

My eyes drinked in the moment. It was almost time.

"I wonder how long it's been… since I last used myself…?"

Sakura gasped. "What is that?!"

Chiyo seemed to realize everything at once.

I shoved chakra into my legs. The poison was moving fast.

Chiyo muttered, "All those years… and not a day on him…"

Sasori spoke in a most serious manner. "It has been a long time indeed… since I last used myself."

Sakura stared at him in shock. "He's actually… a human puppet?"

I stated shakily, "Yes, Sakura… He's a puppet… and…"

I glanced to him.

"There, Sasori-san… two more minutes."

He nodded. "I see…"

I smiled and closed my eyes. Two more minutes…

His coil shot from his stomach and sliced through Sakura's side before landing in the rocks. He propelled his body forward.

"DIE!"

Sakura grabbed the poisoned cord and yanked with all the strength she had left in her tired body.

Sasori reached Chiyo just as Sakura yanked back on his cord.

She pulled him to her and slammed her fist into him.

My body had regained some feeling.

She looked drained as she turned to Chiyo with her victory.

I smiled, "We are not through, Sasori no Danna."

His body began to pull back together.

Here we go.

Sasori jumped back to my side as Chiyo summoned her puppets.

I readied myself.

"Let's do this, Sasori… I am ready now."

He grinned, "Yeah."

He looked to his grandmother.

"Excellent… a puppet master's ability is measured by how many puppets they can control at once."

He grinned. "I've heard of this one… the one you destroyed an entire fortress with. Your collection is quite impressive… but…"

Another scroll was summoned and I smiled.

"But I destroyed an entire country with these."

Sakura and Chiyo gaped at the tons of puppets.

Sasori turned his head down to the ground and began to laugh slightly.

"This is so disappointing! I'm wasting all this time fighting a brat and an old hag… and all the same… having to resort to my best puppets."

He held a fist to one eye in irritation and looked up to our opponents evilly.

"Secret Red Technique… Performance of a hundred puppets!"

We spoke at the same time.

"It's show time."

"Sakura…" Chiyo whispered, "Your antidote has worn off… stay back."

"You already know who I've become… Who I've modeled myself after…"

"Tsunade… "

Sasori smiled at me, just as Chiyo did the same to Sakura.

Both puppet masters asked at the same time, "Now comes the finale… ready?"

Both Sakura and I answered, "Yeah."

Sakura and I charged at one another.

My fist met hers and our legs collided, rebounding.

I screamed, "SAKURA!"

She screamed my name in return, "MORGAN!"

Our hands gripped each other's and our faces glared.

I screamed in exertion.

I heard Sasori and Chiyo's puppets fighting behind us.

I smiled to myself. This was what Sasori wanted. I was happy to let him have his way.

Sakura and I managed to escape from each other's grip.

She breathed hard. "You've let Sasori do all the fighting for you!"

I grinned. "He wanted it that way."

Sakura and I collided again in a frenzy of chakra and limbs.

Sakura managed to take out one puppet and I destroyed one of Chiyo's before Sakura and I met again.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GO WITH NARUTO?!" I screamed.

She looked shocked and I jumped back.

Sakura created a clone, which ran at Sasori.

She threw the sealing object at him.

I smirked and let her pass right by me.

Sakura breathed hard, smiling to herself. "I did it…"

Chiyo nodded. "He can't move. It's over, Sasori… That sea completely stops chakra. You can't use your jutsu anymore."

The old woman tilted and began to fall.

"Take the antidote, Chiyo!"

I watch as Sasori reappeared and looked to me.

I raised a hand. "No, Sasori!" I dropped to my knees as the poison numbed all my limbs. I leaned on a rock.

He looked to me. This was where I had to change something. Even if I had read what was in that scroll… I had to…

"Use me!" I screamed. "Use me!"

Sasori's eyes widened. "Morgan!"

"I said not to use that jutsu! Use me!"

He looked stunned as he asked, "As my… puppet?"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "Yes, Sasori, use me!"

I jerked my head to our opponents. Sakura was breathing hard. Her eyes glared at mine. I knew how hard she was trying. But it was my turn now.

I turned to him. "You can feel it right? Before you go… please… use me."

His head lowered where I couldn't see his eyes, but he smirked.

He chuckled and I felt the chains of chakra latch onto me.

He nodded. "Let's see what you can do, Morgan-chan."

I smiled at my opponents as Sasori moved his hands.

Chiyo gaped at me.

Chakra laced my fist as I swung at Sakura.

The sheer amount burned her hair.

She took a step back. I kicked. She dodged. I elegantly swirled around and pounded the sides of my fists into Sakura's back.

She gasped and coughed.

Sasori's strings pulled me back. My body, which could not keep up since the poison got me… I was moving better than I imagined.

Sakura shouted, "Why are you with him, Morgan?! Why?!"

I closed my eyes. "He is my friend. You would save Naruto even if he got into a fight over his head right? Look at this from my point of view. SASORI IS MY FRIEND! I CANNOT SIT BY AND WATCH HIM DIE!" A tear fell down my cheek.

Sasori's strings detached from my body for an instant and I launched at Sakura. It was the instant I needed to use my jutsu.

My spikes raced at her from the walls and ground like jaws.

Chiyo attacked with her last two remaining puppets… the mother and the father.

I saw them coming but I couldn't move to dodge them. I cursed.

My spikes were moving for Sakura, and Chiyo's puppets for me.

I roared, "GO SASORI! GET OUT!" And I closed my eyes.


	79. Chapter 79

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 79**

I released my jutsu and let Sakura run free.

Chiyo stopped the puppets just as Sasori appeared in her face.

His eyes danced over the elderly woman's surprised face.

I lay on the ground and breathed as best I could as the poison, due to the extra exertion, was killing me even faster.

I smiled as Sakura gasped.

I remembered the scroll.

I smiled as I pressed a hand to my heart.

"Sasori no Danna…" I whispered.

He glanced to me and smirked.

"Granny Chiyo. I have something for you… I made this decision especially for you. It took me a long time to decide… Heheheh… And I must give my thanks to Morgan here…"

I smiled weakly to him.

He lifted the sword from his puppet body to her neck.

"I've waited a long time for this, Granny."

Sakura screamed, "GRANNY CHIYO!"

Sasori smiled at the shocked woman in front of him as the sword came down…

The blade pierced. Blood was coughed up.

Sasori closed his eyes. His hands shook. "Granny…"

He shoved the blade deeper and deeper into his own chest.

"I'm sorry…"

The woman looked shocked.

I watched, pain rippling through my body. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

Sasori no Danna…

I watched as he fell forward.

Chiyo gaped at him.

Sakura's eyes were wide. I could only smile at the wish Sasori had given me, the wish to die at his grandmother's feet… it was the wish written on the scroll.

Chiyo rushed to his body as he hit the ground. "Sasori!"

I blinked in surprise at that. I had forgotten about her jutsu.

Her hands pressed into him and shone brightly with chakra. She was transferring her life chakra into him.

I heard his voice chuckling. "That will not work on me, Chiyo. It's my time."

He looked to Sakura. "And as a reward for surviving your first Akatsuki battle… You wanted to know about Orochimaru, did you not? Go to the Tenshi Bridge in the Hidden Grass… my spy on Orochimaru will meet you there… 10 days from now… at noon."

His head fell to the ground and he finally slept.

I felt the poison in my body take over. I had put it off for so long… but it had been forced into my lungs.

I was about to die… just like Sasori.

Sakura ran to my side. "Morgan!"

I coughed. "I accidentally… forced the poison in my lungs…"

She looked frantic.

"Here!" Chiyo shouted.

I passed out before I knew what they were doing.

"Morgan… come on, look at me… Morgan… open your eyes."

I groaned as I opened my eyes. White was my first impression of all that was around me.

I blinked it in and let my eyes adjust.

I was more than shocked to see the sight before me.

Sasori smiled.

"Hey, Morgan."

His light grin told me he was happy now. I had so very rarely seen him smile like that…

He closed his eyes as his smile grew. "Thank you, Morgan! You helped me finish my wish."

I nodded to him. "Yeah… so… does this mean we are both dead?"

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "No. This means I am dead. It was my wish. It was my wish for only me to die here… It is not your time."

I smiled and laughed, "But the poison was in my lungs… and I am here with you now. Are you so sure I am not dead as well?"

He kissed my forehead. "I always thought of you as a younger sister. Always. You were always so happy and fun loving. I even told Deidara this once. He called me a moron of course, but all the same… I will miss you, nee-chan."

I laughed with him and hugged him tightly. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I sobbed into his shoulder.

"Don't die, Sasori, please don't die!"

His hand rubbed my hair as he soothed me.

"Open you eyes, Morgan… open your eyes and see the real world."

I shook my head violently, screaming at him, "I don't want to! Not without you! Come with me!"

He smiled sadly, "I cannot."

I fell to my knees at his feet.

The white swarmed in on us.

I screamed his name. "YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME, SASORI!"

He laughed and gripped my hand tightly in his as he knelt in front of me.

The pain in my chest welled up until I couldn't take the pain anymore.

I wailed his name. He still smiled at me.

I felt his body, his presence, begin to fade away.

His face was growing dimmer and seemed to shimmer in front of me.

I screamed with all my might, "SASORI!"

I heard his voice one last time before I lost all sight of him.

"Open your eyes, Morgan. This is not your time."

And I did open my eyes.

…

I saw blue skies. At first, I couldn't feel my body. That came second after my sight.

After a moment, I could feel the rocks under my back.

I could feel the blood pumping in my body. I could tell my heart was beating. I heard my breathing. I could hear now too.

Birds chirped in the background. My breathing was rapid and rough.

And now I felt something else. Tears flowed over my face. My voice would not come, though.

It couldn't come. I had screamed all I could to Sasori. I had used all of my voice on Sasori.

I dug my nails into the Earth and let the tears fall.

I closed my eyes and blinked to clear them.

I turned my head ever so slightly and saw the reason I was still alive… that third and final antidote had been jabbed into my shoulder.

I turned my head back to the front and closed my eyes.

I moved my lips and mouthed a name.

"Sasori…" I whispered it to myself.

I whispered his name one last time… and I managed a "Good bye…" at the end.

I passed out again there… only now it was into the world of dreams, a world where I could rest my heart and my body…

I smiled to myself and let my mind blank out.

Sasori is dead. KIA. Sasori of the Red Sand.


	80. Chapter 80

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 80**

"MORGAN!"

I turned and looked over my shoulder at the person who was running towards me.

I smiled, "Deidara!"

"Have you finished it?"

I nodded and smiled wider. "Just finished!"

He looked around me.

"Does it look okay?" I asked.

Deidara laughed. "Sure."

He stopped and stood beside me.

I shrugged. "It's not very good but hey… It's the best I can do."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Sasori would praise your art this time." He sighed.

I frowned, "Suuuuure."

He chuckled before turning to walk away. "The others are arriving now. It's time to go…"

I nodded and turned my back to what I had been doing.

"Let's go…"

I cast a final glance behind me before following Deidara.

Sasori's memorial stood proud and tall behind me.

Pein looked to me as we entered the meeting.

"Morgan."

"Pein."

We nodded to each other and I noticed the others staring at me.

Kisame's eyes scanned me over.

"Morgan-chan… I'm… sor…"

I stopped him with a raised hand and a small smile. "This is not the first time someone has died near me. I am fine."

His eyes fell and Pein sighed.

"We all know that Sasori has left us."

I saw Sasori's ring on Tobi's finger.

"Today we acknowledge Tobi as a member of Akatsuki and Morgan as our next up and coming."

Madi gave me a sad glance. I smiled reassuringly at her.

Pein continued, "And there is something Morgan has to say."

Everyone looked at me in surprise.

I smiled and cooed, "I get to pick my team today!"

Every eye widened. "You picked Deidara's team!"

I smiled. "Pein decided he'd let me go with Deidara and Sasori on their mission to take the one tails. I had another team in mind."

Everyone looked to each other, and Madi walked over to me. "Who?"

I smiled and thought out loud, "Well… actually… my plan was to go with Team…"

Every eye was on me. I let them drink in the suspense before I answered.

"I pick team KisaIta."

Madi looked shocked, "Wha?!"

I smiled at them. "But… if you don't mind, I need to go somewhere… alone."

Pein frowned, "Where are you going?"

I sighed, "If you are worried about me running away, send someone with me."

He looked to the group and Madi immediately raised her hand.

"I wanna go!"

He sighed, "Madi you can go. You have two days."

I bowed quickly, "Yes sir!"

Without another word to them, Madi and I left the meeting.

Madi: What's going on? Why are we HERE?

Me: There are some people I need to see.

Madi: In the Sand village?

Me: Yes. Um… Madi?

Madi: ?

Me: Can you please wait for me here? I will be back by midnight.

Madi: I want to come! Even I know better than to tell.

Me: *groan* Fine. But don't say anything to anyone.

I slipped through the shadows of the alleyways. The guards were rebuilding what little of the city had been destroyed.

We snuck closer to the Kazekage Mansion.

"Shh, Madi."

"I am being shh!"

"No you're not!"

"I am too!"

"SHH!"

"I AM!"

A shadow appeared in front of me.

"You! What are you doing here? You won't get your hands on Gaara again!"

I glared at Konkuro. "You baka, I'm here to talk to you."

He glanced around and spotted Madi.

"You are Akatsuki. Why should I not kill you right now?"

I smirked, "Let's put it this way… if you do not listen to me, I will blow up half of Suna before you can even poof up a puppet."

He looked at me with a glare.

I let my smirk fall and looked at him very seriously. "You have Sasori's body."

His face darkened. "… What about it?"

I glared back. "I want you to do something for me…"

"What?"

"Keep his heart intact. It is already dead. Just… don't take that out."

He looked shocked, "You don't want it back?"

I smiled, "You would use his body for the art he loved. I would not deny him that. I just request you treat him with the respect of puppet masters."

He nodded to me. "I will do as you request. Now please leave Suna."

I smiled and stuck out my tongue. "No." I grabbed Madi's arm and poofed us elsewhere.

She gasped as we landed at my second destination.

The building was the old home of Chiyo, and now all that was left was the old man. I think his name was… Ebizo.

I knocked on the door and he opened it.

He didn't recognize me, of course, but all the same…

"I would like to relay a message to you, sir."

He nodded, "Yes?"

I smiled, "Sasori died of his own choice for Chiyo. He never attacked her with the decision to cause her harm. That is all."

I turned on my heel and grabbed Madi's hand.

"Is this it? Are we done?" she asked.

I frowned, "We have one more stop."

She nodded.

I slunk through the shadows to my next destination.

"Uh… Morgan?"

I turned to Madi to shush her again when she pointed just to our right.

"Well what do you know?" I smiled.

Gaara's arms were crossed and he looked at me emotionlessly.

"I remember you. You're the girl who talked to me before the Akatsuki sealed the one tails."

I nodded. "Yes."

He narrowed his eyes a bit. "You are Akatsuki yourself. But… you did not participate in the sealing of my demon."

I nodded. "I did not. I am not a member yet."

"Why did you care anything about me?"

"I… I know the pain you felt of being betrayed before. I was backstabbed by my friends once…"

He nodded before fixing me with an intense stare, "How did you know I would survive?"

At that I smiled at him.

"Even if I told you, you would not understand."

He walked forward, grabbed my arm, and stated, "You will tell me in my office."

He glanced to Madi.

I smiled, "Alone, I presume."

He nodded.

I looked to Madi. "Madi, please return back to the Akatsuki. I will meet you soon."

She nodded and ninja jumped away.

Gaara pulled me into his sand ball and let the sand cover me from view as he carried us to his office.

He set me down and closed the blinds and locked the door.

His sand clogged all the holes and made the room soundproof.

"Explain."

I sat down and smiled at him. "This might take a while."

"I have all night and day."

I took a deep breath in preparation. "My name is Morgan Stream and I am from a far away land. Here's where you might not understand… "

He listened to my whole story about being betrayed by Konoha and how I "knew" about the attack on Suna. He listened the whole time as I spilled my guts to him. He never asked a question, and as I finished my story he stood.

"I will escort you outside."

His sand wrapped around me and I smiled.

"I only wanted you to understand, Gaara…"

He set me down outside the gates.

"I know you tell the truth. And I know you only came here to tell me this of your own will. I thank you, Morgan."

I nodded and bowed. "Goodbye then, Gaara…"

He nodded and I turned on my heel.

"Morgan."

I turned to him. "Yes?"

"If you know what is good for you, you should leave the Akatsuki. I might understand you now… but other villages may not wait or listen."

I smiled at him and disappeared into the sandstorm.

Madi met me at the tree line. "What did he say to you?"

I smiled. "Nothing at all, Madi…"

She sighed, "You can trust me, you know. I would be the last person to tell on you."

I laughed, "In due time~!"

She sighed, "Yeah… At some point we will both be Akatsuki."

I nodded. "Yes… Sooner than you know…"

She glanced to me out of the corner of her eyes but said nothing. "Understood."

We began the walk back to the base to meet my new team. This was it… my final goodbye to Sasori, my last chance to send him off. I turned my head and smiled to the village. Under my breath I spoke quietly, almost sighing, as if it were relieving me of so much weight. I said it out loud. "Good bye… Sasori no Danna."


	81. Chapter 81

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 81**

Kisame frowned as we all walked together down the road.

An awkward silence had filled the air since we left the Akatsuki meeting.

I think it was Konan telling me and Itachi to spare Kisame our "lovey-dovey crap"…

Itachi was only feeling awkward because his mind was referring back to the strange confession he'd handed out.

Kisame was just feeling awkward because Itachi and I weren't talking. He was dead set on getting us together.

I was just trying to keep from thinking about it.

Oh darn it…

I couldn't take it anymore.

I'd always been like this. If something bugged me for a long time I MADE myself think it all the way through and planned out how I would fix it. It always made me feel better.

This time I was more reluctant than usual to think about it, though.

~Morgan's thoughts~

What should I say to Itachi? That had to be the best Shoujo manga confession ever and I can't think of what to say to him! Dang…

Do I like him? Well, what's there to like?

He's hot. I pushed that from my mind before it turned perverted.

He's always been really concerned on my behalf. He was kind enough to be my sensei. He comforted me when I lost it because of those dreams. He saved me from Hidori. He was… there.

I remembered back in my home when I used to talk to my internet friends about how hot he was… Dang it…there's that thought again…

I was trying to force that thought back when something I'd forgotten popped into my brain.

How could I have FORGOTTEN it?!

Itachi had kissed me before.

My cheeks flushed bright red.

I hoped Kisame wasn't watching me.

Itachi had planned a vacation to the Land of Ice for me when I was sick. The whole Akatsuki had gone and we had had a great time.

We had skated… and had a snowball fight. Itachi and I were paired up for the snowball fight, Deidara had dropped a pile of snow over our heads, and Itachi had fallen over me and accidentally kissed me.

When he had moved his lips from mine Deidara landed his bird on top of our pile and Itachi's lips had found my neck.

I felt my cheeks heat up more and more and more until I was pretty sure I was redder than any tomato.

Kisame glanced down to me with wide eyes.

"Morgan-chan, are you sick?"

I blinked as I was brought out of my trance.

"Um, what?"

He sighed.

Itachi glanced at me and then to the road ahead of us.

"Kisame… it's getting late. Let's stop at this hotel for tonight."

Kisame groaned, "Pein has already limited our hotel money to basically nothing. We will only be able to get one room."

I nodded and Itachi agreed that we should stay. Kisame ran to the desk to rent the room for us, handing us the key before heading back out to check the street for possible dangers.

Itachi walked at my side, letting me enter the room first.

"Morgan…"

I was about to ask what when Kisame suddenly threw himself in the room.

He had a half-crazy-with-excitement look on his face.

"I know how we can get the information we need on finding my Jinchurikki!"

I gave him a stunned look, "Eh?"

He grinned evilly.

"Here~!"

Itachi and I took the flyer he handed us and we read it together.

"Mizuki's Very First Cinderella Play! Join now and get the chance to win a meeting and rich dinner with Sir Blagh! Auditions are tomorrow at noon! Please attend!" (I have no idea but his name shall be Sir Blagh)

I blinked at Kisame.

"What in the world do you want me to do now?"

He flapped his arms around in excitement.

"Morgan-chaaaaaan! Sir Blagh is known for his black market knowledge! He can tell us where my jinchurikki is!"

I sighed in an annoyed way. "So… you want me to addition?"

His face gleamed. "I want ALL of us to addition."

I could already feel my refusal coming, but Itachi spoke before I could decline, "I'm in."

He turned away from me and marched into the bathroom.

I cried silently in pain. WHY ME?!

~Next day at noon~

I glanced around. "There sure are a lot of actors here to sign up…"

Kisame grinned, "I've already signed us up!"

I glanced at my ticket.

"Why do I have to be Cinderella?"

He just skipped away happily to find Itachi.

I groaned and walked onstage as my name was called.

"Please recite the lines, miss."

I nodded and bowed low.

"I know the pain of losing your father so young… I remember it well indeed. When he has left me all alone with this cruel stepmother of mine and her two horrible daughters… I have given all these years to them, but…"

I began to smile as I pulled my hands to my heart.

"But I can't hate them. I can't feel that guilt in my heart. The pain always dissolves… How can I hate them when I still find life as wonderful as this? My dreams drown me in beauty and my heart soars so much higher… I don't remember the pain when I remember this!"

The judges' eyes were wide. I smiled and bowed to them.

I returned to my seat between Kisame and Itachi, who walked up to the stage as his name was called.

Itachi was signed up for the prince. I was beginning to see Kisame's little plan…

He cleared his throat and let his eyes fill with confusion.

"Why is it my heart beats so hard when I see her? Why do I feel so light? I feel my heart beating so very fast just as I look into her eyes… Be still, my heart… Can you hear it beating? My love… no… I cannot tell her… I wonder if her heart beats all the same for me."

Pain filled his eyes and he looked down to his feet. "How can I tell her I love her? How can I say it just right? What will she think of me…? How can she react to such a prince as I…?"

The judges stood and clapped. I felt my cheeks heat up. He was good.

Kisame grinned as the last roll was called.

The Duke. Kisame wanted to be the Duke.

I glowered at him. He wanted to be the one who could observe EVERYTHING on stage first hand.

He said his lines perfectly and the judges seemed to give him a sympathetic look.

He sat down and Itachi and I both gave him an exasperated look.

He just sat in his seat, giggling.

And so the judges stood and began to call out winners.

"Cinderella will be played by Kioko Hoshi."

I sighed… That was the codename Kisame had given me.

Itachi's name was called for the prince… and Kisame even won for the Duke.

We were given our scripts and returned to the hotel.

"Kisame?"

"Yes?"

"I hate you."

"That's fine."

I read through the story and sighed.

"I can do this, I suppose…" One week of practice, get the dinner, then we're done.

He grinned evilly.

~1st day of practice~

I had all of my lines memorized. The play was actually VERY well written. I was kind of excited!

We started with the scene where I would run from the castle and lose my shoe.

For practice, I was just wearing wooden clogs. Whoot.

Itachi ran behind me and grabbed it from the ground.

"Wait! Please wait!"

I turned and cried out, "I can't! Goodbye!"

"No!" He looked crushed, kneeling on the ground and staring after me as I dashed offstage.

The scene ended and I came back onstage, looking at the judges expectantly.

"How was that?"

The director was all "OMIGAWSH YOU TWO ARE SO PERFECT!"

I just sighed and moved on to my next scene.

~Day 2~

Today we practiced the 'trying on of the shoe' bit. I purposely kicked Kisame. It looked accidental though. Mwa ha ha. Itachi chuckled from offstage.

~Day 3~

They made adjustments to the story.

Instead of both Itachi and Kisame coming to try on the shoe, Itachi was to sit in the coach and wait. When Kisame took SO long he was to walk inside.

We practiced that for a while and the director dismissed it. He didn't like it.

~Day 4~

We ran through the whole thing in order. We practiced the dancing scene for the first time and I could FEEL Kisame's smirk. Itachi sighed, "He's such a moron."

I agreed and we finished up for that day.

~Day 5~

We did a dress-up rehearsal today. I had to change multiple times from dress to dress to dress.

Both Kisame and Itachi were shocked to see me in a dress.

When I got into the golden ball gown, Itachi had to leave the stage for a moment. I just dismissed it and went on with my role.

~Day 6~

Director got mad and quit. We went home early!

Tomorrow was the performance. Just as we were settling to go to sleep… we got a knock on the door. The director was back and we had new lines.

I read through mine and sighed. It was the original script. It was the same way for every page I read. I didn't even bother reading the last page. Everything was normal so I headed to bed.

I should have read the last page.


	82. Chapter 82

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 82**

I woke up that morning to Kisame prodding the sensitive skin on my side where it tickled like heck.

"Kisame…?!"

"Wake up Morgan-chan! The play is today!"

I groaned and rolled over, pinning his arm under me to stop the prodding.

Itachi walked out of the bathroom fully dressed. "Morgan, if you want a shower first you have to get up."

I sat up like a zombie and left to take my shower.

I was pretty sure they could hear my grumbling from the bedroom.

Kisame: Morgan doesn't seem very different…

Itachi: *sighs* I watched her read the script… She never read the last page.

Kisame: *shock* WHAT?! BUT THEN SHE MIGHT-

Itachi: *emotionally distressed* I don't think I will finish right…

Kisame: *sigh*

The people at the play had the first dress ready. I slipped into the dress and the lady sat me down to fix my hair.

She kept commenting on how beautiful my long hair was.

I planned on cutting it.

She applied the makeup to make me look dirty and we did some acting exercises.

I watched as HUNDREDS of people filed into the theater.

I gulped and my fellow actresses comforted me.

Evil Step Sister 1: You will be fine! Just imagine that you are performing only for the judges!

Evil Step Sister 2: Yeah! Everything will be perfect!

I smiled at them. Evil step sisters my butt.

Itachi suddenly walked by us.

ESS1: OMIGAWSH IT'S KENJI-KUN!

I sighed. So they weren't over this yet? Whatever… All the girls and actresses have been head over heels for Itachi since day one of auditions. I just ignored them and focused on my part.

Oh… and Kenji was Itachi's fake name.

He walked over to me.

"Did you read the changes?"

I waved my hand dismissively, "Yes I did. I don't see the big deal."

He sighed. "Fine. Well, the story is beginning so I will be onstage soon. Please watch me."

"Of course."

He smiled and bowed extra low. His hand wrapped around mine and he brought it to his lips.

"I will do my absolute best for your majesty."

The blush flooded my cheeks, and I desperately tried to calm my face before walking onstage.

Here we go…

The stage was dark save for a lone light on me from above.

"I know the pain of losing your father so young… I remember it well indeed. When he as left me all alone with this cruel stepmother of mine and her two horrible daughters… I have given all these years to them, but…"

My voice carried from where I sat. The cold wooden bench was better than the cold bed Cinderella normally lay in.

I closed my eyes and smiled as I stated, "But I can't hate them. I can't feel that guilt in my heart. The pain always dissolves… How can I hate them when I still find life as wonderful as this? My dreams drown me in beauty and my heart soars so much higher… I don't remember the pain when I remember this!"

The world seemed to focus all of its light on me.

As everything seemed to become bright and wonderful, the world flashed back to reality, light flooding the stage.

"CINDERELLA!"

My head turned back towards the sound of the noise and I ran back to the mansion.

"Sisters," I called, "Where are you?"

I looked around for them just as two girls dashed down the staircase and shouted angrily, "Where were you, Cinderella?! I need my laundry done this instant!"

I bowed and stated, "As you wish, beloved sisters…"

The light on my side of the stage turned black, and I froze where I stood.

Itachi entered the other half of the stage, which was lit while my half remained black.

"I know father has planned this horrible ball for me to attend. Every maiden is to attend to try and win my heart. I dread going to such a horrid place full of women all with such intention of winning me."

He gripped a hand to his heart. "I cannot love someone who is only trying for my throne. I must be careful not to regard any woman above another. I must work not to fall in love. I will never let these women or my father win. This is decided. I will not fall in love.

The light switched back to my side and I scrubbed the floor as I moved my mouth to the words of a song.

I was lip-synching of course, but it sounded fantastic.

My rag slipped over the floor as I closed my eyes and lost myself in the song.

I pulled my hands to my heart as a tender piece in the song played.

I sang quietly to myself, "Take me away my beloved! Take me to a world where we can be together forever!"

I blinked in surprise as a loud knock was heard from the door. I stood in a hurry and dashed for the door.

I opened it slightly and gaped at the tall (blue) man before me.

"Hello, Maiden. I am The Grand Duke of this fair kingdom of ours. I wish to relay a message all through the kingdom. Our young and handsome Prince is holding his Birthday Ball this evening in hopes of meeting his future bride. It is my duty to give you these invitations. How many maidens live in this household?"

"Three, sir!"

Kisame's eyes scanned over me and I smiled at him.

He nodded and asked, "What are the names?"

"Kimi, the eldest… Mira, the middle… and I, Cinderella, the youngest." I looked away shyly as I mentioned myself.

Kisame smiled and bowed to me as he backed away.

"I shall see you at the ball soon. Please dress accordingly."

I turned from him and shut the door, leaning against it with the invitations in my hand.

I cried out in joy, "This! This is a dream come true! I never thought… I never thought in a million years that I could go to a royal ball!"

Apparently hearing my excitement, the Stepmother walked down the stairs.

She looked at me angrily, "What do you have there, Cinderella?"

I bowed and tried to hide one invitation behind my back.

"Invitations for my sisters to attend the royal ball to decide the Prince's bride!"

The woman walked over to me.

"I see… and what did he say to you?"

I took a step back. "He said only beautiful maidens could attend."

She glowered at me as she decided what to say to me.

She took a step closer.

"Indeed, you are the ugliest maiden in the entire world."

She took my sisters' invitations from my hands. I tried to hide mine. I knew she would ban me from attending. I knew she would take mine away and burn it.

She smirked. "What are you hiding from me, Cinderella?"

I took another step back as she walked closer.

She moved closer and closer until I felt a pillar on my back and was forced to stop walking.

"What an inconsiderate child! Here I am, feeding you and clothing you! How dare you try and hide something from me!"

Her hands yanked my invitation from my hands and I gasped.

She cackled evilly. "You will never go to any ball! Never as long as you live will we let your hideous face outside of this mansion!"

I bowed low as she smacked me across the cheek.

The lights turned black and I stayed on my knees.

Stagehands darted across the floor and moved the scenery, changing it quickly and quietly.

The narrator's voice rung out from above the stage.

"Though the Step Mother knew Cinderella's beauty surpassed all others she would not allow her to know it. She, who wished her daughters more luck than any other, was set on making Cinderella as hated as possible. Though through all of these hardships Cinderella only grew more and more beautiful."

The scene lit up on me in my room, my face planted into my pillow.

I cried out, "Why?! Why can't I go? Why, even if I am ugly, am I left here?"

My body shook with sobs.

"I want to go! I want to see others! I want to meet other people! I want to fall in love!"

I stood. I was absolutely certain… even if I did not have a dress… I would get to that ball. I ran for the door just as the Stepmother's voice shouted, "You shall not leave this room. Good night!"

I heard the key click and slammed myself into the door.

"No!"

I banged my fists on the wood and screamed the names of my sisters.

"Take me with you! Don't leave me here! I want to go!"

I heard the footsteps leave the house and I was left all alone in the house.

I screamed and cried out, but it was no use. "No!"

I fell to the ground crying.

"Cinderella…"

I slowed my crying. Was someone calling my name?

"Cinderella."

I looked around in shock.

"Hello, dear. I have come to take you to the ball."

I blinked my eyes in surprise. "Are you… a fairy?"

"Yes dear. I am a fairy."


	83. Chapter 83

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 83**

The lights went out on my side and I was moved from the scene as Itachi replaced my spotlight.

He stood in his uniform and looked sadly at the crowd of women.

Narrator: They stood in a line that stretched from him to the door, a line of unrecognizable women. The prince's heart was perfectly still as he looked from each face to another. None were anything like he had thought. He would have no trouble ignoring them at all.

Itachi bowed to a pair of girls and straightened his back.

The Duke at his side stated, "Eldest sister Kimi. Middle Sister Mira. And youngest sister-"

"She has gotten sick, Sir." Mira stated before he could speak the other girl's name.

Kisame looked to Itachi.

Itachi nodded, "Thank you for attending. Please make yourselves feel welcome."

They were more than reluctant to move along, but the other women moved them on their own.

Itachi spoke his thoughts out loud as the lights focused on him and him alone, and the blackness consumed Mira, Kimi, and the Duke and they froze. "All these women look alike to me. How could father possibly think I would fall for such boring women? It seems my mission will go successfully. I will not fall in love through force alone. I will choose my own wife."

The lights returned to normal and Itachi bowed to the next group.

And so the night continued.

The scene went dark and returned to Cinderella/me.

A fairy dressed in a sparkly dress stood before me. Her kind smile lit up her face and her wings fluttered behind her.

"You want to go to the ball, correct?"

I nodded my head, still slightly in shock.

She giggled, "You are such a pretty thing! How could I just let you stay here?"

Her wand began to glow and the stage turned completely dark again.

Itachi reappeared on the stage. He danced with Kimi alone. The girl continued talking to him without an end.

He gently shoved her away when her incessant chatter became unbearable. "I cannot… Please give me a moment to myself…"

He walked outside and groaned. "I can't take this chore anymore! They are all the same! I can't take it!"

He rubbed his temples and looked out over the lawn as another carriage arrived late.

He glanced tiredly at it and then back to the party.

"Why not go and greet her?"

He swung off the stage and into the orchestra, and the stage went black.

Now I crept out from the fairy's carriage.

I took a gentle step onto the grass.

"So this is the castle? Wow… never thought I would ever be here!"

I closed my eyes in happiness.

"Good evening…"

I turned and looked over to the side. A man in a suit stood there, smiling.

I returned it as brightly as I could. My happiness was in full blossom.

"Good evening, Sir!"

Itachi's eyes scanned over me in his bow.

The lights of the stage focused on him, leaving me frozen as he spoke to himself.

"She does not know who I am… Maybe I can have a little fun with her…"

The lights turned back on and he offered me his elbow.

"May I escort you inside, miss?"

I nodded slightly. "I believe so…"

I was nervous as I took his arm and let him lead me inside.

People stared as I was led about the room and to the dance floor.

Itachi grinned, "Would you like to dance?"

I blushed and muttered, "Um… I'm not sure. Are you not embarrassed to dance with someone as ugly as me?"

He looked stunned. "What?"

I smiled ever so slightly, "It means a lot for you to overlook my face and figure, sir… Please dance with me at least once before you pick a more beautiful partner!"

Itachi took my waist with his hand and lead me into the dance.

He spoke this thoughts to the audience as he spun around, "I wonder who this girl is? She… seems different from the others. I see her beauty and I hear her kind voice, but her personality rings differently than the others… Who is she?"

My heart beat fast as I looked up at him. He spun me around and looked deep into my eyes.

I felt my cheeks heating up.

Itachi was acting very well. His eyes showed the confusion as well as any prince could have if he met Cinderella.

And it was my line again.

I looked into his eyes and smiled, "You are very kind, but… where is the Prince? I thought I might be able to watch him dance with his future wife but… I have never seen his face to know him."

Itachi's face looked shocked one again. He stated his thoughts aloud again.

"She is different. She seems too unsure of herself. Her eyes gleam at me one moment and fall the next… Does she not realize what a beauty she is? Has she been so sheltered all of her life? Compared to the others… she is so different. Who is she? Why is she so different to me?"

Itachi then spoke to Cinderella, "The Prince has retired to his quarters for tonight… but I would not mind dancing with you some more."

I smiled at him. "It… it would mean a lot to me."

I stared up into his eyes as he danced with me.

~Itachi's POV~

Her blue eyes stared at me. Her laces bat at me, and I felt my heart beating inside my chest. She was-… a good actor. I forced myself back on track. It was my line. "You seem rather quiet? Do you feel alright?"

She smiled at me. My heartbeat accelerated.

"I have never danced with anyone but my father before. It feels so strange and I feel so self conscious… Am I doing alright? Have I hurt you any, kind Sir?"

The smile I gave her was genuine, "You are no trouble at all."

I felt the eyes of the audience on me and knew it was time to move onto the next stage.

I slowly started to lead Morgan to the balcony and away from the other actors' eyes.

A stagehand pulled the main curtain down.

I kept Morgan in my arms as they moved the scene around. Her eyes seem fuzzed over, like they were on pause until the curtain lifted.

The director whispered to us from offstage, "We have a five minute break! Please finish setting things up. You two, do not move! No wait… Get closer together! Prince, don't act so uptight! Hold her more loosely! It is only acting, man!"

Kisame smirked and walked over.

He pushed Morgan to where her chest was pressed to mine and my hand was lower on her waist. Morgan whispered, "It's only acting. Just do as the script says and try not to feel anything."

The curtains rose, revealing us.

"You are much different from the others, Princess…"

Morgan pulled back slightly. "That is not fair when you have only danced with me!"

I shook my head, stepping closer to her. "You do not seem to realize what you are!"

She looked away. "I am ugly. I have no right to dance in a ball with a man like you… I am not a fairytale princess…"

I lifted her chin up and made her look into my eyes.

"I find you more interesting than any other woman I have danced with tonight."

She frowned. "You make my heart beat faster and faster. Who are you?"

I blinked in surprise. Her face was so innocent! My heart was twisting in my chest… Deep breaths, Itachi. You are an actor. She does not feel that way for you. She never will.

I shoved my uneasiness away.

"It doesn't matter who I am, does it? All that is needed to know at the moment… is something for me. Who are you?"

She laughed weakly. "I am nothing. I am a little child no one should ever have to care for…"

The bell tolled behind me and she looked shocked.

Her eyes widened and she whispered, "The bell… The time… My fairy… Oh no!"

She turned from my arms and darted down the path and into the castle.

I shouted after her, "WAIT! I don't even know your name!"

She shouted a goodbye and the curtain fell.

The scene was moved to Cinderella's escape.

She darted down the stairs. I ran out after her. "Wait! Don't go yet!"

She turned and screamed, "I must go! Good bye!"

I nearly caught her as she slipped forward and lost a shoe.

She dashed down the stairs and to her carriage.

She escaped just as I reach her.

"No! Come back! I need you to stay! Please come back!"

She did not turn back.

I fell to my knees there on the stairs as Kisame/The Duke reached me.

I lifted a hand to where Morgan/Cinderella had disappeared. "She's gone!"

Kisame placed a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "I will find her, Prince! I will not rest until she has been found!"


	84. Chapter 84

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 84**

~Morgan/Cinderella/My POV~

I reached home just as the spell ended, my ballgown gone as the jutsu on the dress ended. It was cool that they used jutsu for special effects! I raced back to my room and locked myself inside.

The spotlight fell on me and I cried out loud, alone in my room. "He nearly saw me as a peasant… Why?! Why did the spell only have to last until then? I never even found out his name!"

I threw myself on my bed and wept.

The scene faded and showed the Stepmother entering my room.

"Cinderella!"

I sat up quickly. "You're back!"

She looked serious.

"You did not go to the ball, did you?"

I frowned and teared up. "I never got a chance… I was left here, remember?"

The woman looked extremely happy and left me to cry.

I lay on my bed and waited for sleep to take me.

The scene went black and changed once more as I exited the screen.

Itachi was standing on the balcony looking out as the sun rose.

"Why is it my heart beats so hard when I think about her? Why do I feel so light? I feel my heart beating so very fast just as I remember her eyes. I promised myself I would not fall in love… Be still, my heart… Can you hear it beating? My love… no sir… I cannot tell her… I wonder if her heart beats all the same for me..."

Pain filled his eyes and he looked down to his feet. "How can I tell her I love her? How can I say it just right? What will she think of me…? How can she react to such a prince as I…?"

He turned around as Kisame entered the scene.

"Sir… if we wish to find her, we must chase her at once. We will place this shoe on the foot of every maiden in our land until we find one who fits. She will be made your bride!"

Itachi nodded with a slight smile. "Yes… And I am going with you to make sure it is really she."

Kisame nodded and the two left.

The scene moved for what seems like the millionth time and lit upon a carriage.

Kisame yawned, "We have been searching for your love all day and night… it is already morning once more. You will not settle for any of them, Sir?"

Itachi glared at him. "I have fallen in love with this maiden. I will not marry any but her."

Kisame sighed. "Here is the last in this town. Let us go inside."

Itachi knocked on the door and the Stepmother opened the door.

"How may I help you?"

The Duke looked at his list of names.

"We are here to see your three daughters, Miya, Kimi, and Cinderella."

The Stepmother gave them a wide smile. "I am sorry… Cinderella is credibly ill. She cannot come downstairs but please do come in to meet my other two daughters!"

The two stepped in and saw the step sisters. Itachi confirmed they were not his love and sighed.

Itachi shook his head and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Please… may I have something to drink… ? I've been awake so long now."

The woman dashed away to get tea.

Itachi, on the other hand, began to look around.

He opened a book from a shelf and noted an old picture used to bookmark the page.

He glanced at the picture less than a half second before he did a doubletake.

"This… this is a picture of her! Duke! Here she is! This is her!"

Kisame darted over and looked at the picture.

The Stepmother walked in and saw them. "What are you doing?!"

"Where is your third daughter?!" Itachi demanded.

The woman looked pale, her voice shaking with anger. "She never went last night! She was ill!"

Itachi looked furious. "Where is she?!"

The woman pointed up the stairs and Itachi made a mad dash up the stairs.

He stopped at the highest point and knocked on the door.

A voice called, "I am coming, Stepmother…"

She opened the door.

Itachi beamed, "It is you!"

I glanced up and saw his face. My heart sped up. I pressed a hand to my heart.

"Sir!"

He shouted in happiness, "I have finally found you! I have finally found you, my princess!"

I gave him a shocked look and he took my hands in his.

The screen went black and a single light shone on me as I spoke, "I remember every moment of our dance and feel my heart race. This man… whoever he is… I really do love him!" And then, as I keep a shocked look on my face, the light fills the stage and he speaks to me.

"You must marry me, Cinderella! You must marry me before my heart dies of want!"

I looked at him in confusion. "You know my name, and though my heart does beat for you… What is your name?"

Itachi laughed in happiness as he smiled at me. "I am the Prince of this Kingdom! I am asking you to be my wife! I cannot love another soul as I love you!"

I threw myself in his arms and screamed, "Yes! Yes I will marry you!"

The curtain closed and I moved away from Itachi and to the dressing room. We had a ten minute interval before the final scene, and we ALL had to change.

It was the kiss-less wedding scene.

I was dressed and make-up'd.

The director called for me and I darted out to meet him.

They led me onto the stage and positioned me at the bottom of a staircase where Itachi appeared a moment later.

His blank eyes noted me, and he looked perfectly normal.

I placed myself in his arms.

He pulled me closer and sighed, "We are almost done."

I nodded and the curtain flew up to reveal us as the music played.

Itachi pulled me closer and I placed my head on his chest.

I felt his calm heartbeat and move to the music.

My own heart sped up.

We very carefully ascended the stairs to meet the preacher.

Itachi stopped me and we faced each other as Kisame spoke his lines.

Itachi's eyes softened considerably as he stated, "I promise to love you forever and forever, Princess…"

I spoke as my lines command, "I promise to love you forever and forever, Prince."

He lifted a hand to me and touched my face.

Lightning shot through my body. What?!

The experience in the Land of Ice came back to me in a flash.

Even then, Itachi hadn't touched me like this.

His hands carefully flowed over my face.

His confession came to mind… even that had not been as romantic as this moment.

My heart beat skyrocketed. Did I love Itachi? What should I say as the curtain falls? My lines were over. I was only waiting for the curtain to fall, as the script promised. My body felt so heated as I moved closer and closer to Itachi. What did I feel?

Please… close the curtain so I can move away. Please close the curtain so I have time to think! I don't know yet! Do I love him?! What is going on?! Where is that curtain?

Itachi's arms wrapped around me as he pulled me to him.

His right hand moved to the back of my neck. His left pulled my waist closer to him. My eyes widened in confusion.

Itachi's lips met mine.

My heart skipped a beat.

Itachi… ?

His arms pulled me flush against him, his hands holding my face to his and his other holding my waist close.

My hands shook.

I felt my cheeks grow hotter and hotter as I didn't respond.

Did I love Itachi? What should I do?

I moved my hands up and around Itachi's neck.

I pulled him closer.

What was I doing? Why was I doing this?! It was as if my hands had a mind of their own!

He reacted and kissed me farther.

I felt my head roll and I lost my senses. I was… so… confused… no… I think I get it now. I think I know the answer…

Itachi… Itachi… Itachi… my mind seemed to call his name.

It began to sink in and I realized what I had blocked out for the longest time. All those times when I wondered what I should say… All those times I hoped what I had overheard were true… I remember those and finally confirmed it.

My mind screamed as loud and as passionately as it could, though no one but me could hear it: "I love you, Itachi!"

I threw everything I had into the kiss. I felt him respond and the kiss deepened and deepened until I couldn't even keep up.

I felt my body go limp and I fell into him, surrendering to him.

He held me up and kissed me on.

I heard the curtain fall and opened my eyes.

As soon as the curtain was all the way down, Itachi moved away and I dropped into the floor.

He didn't see me and I was just left on the floor. *blink, blink*

What? What just happened?

Kisame bounded over to me. "Whoa! Man, you sure made the act finish great! That kiss was white hot! I wasn't sure how it would go when the Director changed the script at the end to include a kiss, but wow! You two really made it look real!"

I asked in confusion as my heart stopped in shock.

"The script?"

He frowned, "Hm? Oh you want a copy? Here!"

I took it and flipped to the last page…the only page I had skipped.

The last line was different: End with a passionate kiss.

I felt shock pass over me. That kiss was not real. Itachi had not made it real. He had been acting. After that realization came shame. I had thought it was real! I had fallen for him right then! And he thought it was all an act!

I felt pain engulf me.

Kisame cooed, "We are having a party now that the play is over! Are you in?"

I stood and brushed off my dress.

"No… I think I will head back for a bit of a rest…"

Kisame nodded happily and bounced away.

"I will tell Itachi so he won't worry! You did so great!"

I closed my eyes. It was all an act. I fell in love with an act.

It was never real. It was nothing to him. I had fallen in love with an act.


	85. Chapter 85

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 85**

I changed from my dress in the changing room and snuck out the back so as not to meet the eyes of any cast members. I walked alone outside the stage house and through the streets.

"Hold up there! Wait a second!"

I turned and saw an old man running up to me.

"You were the girl who played Cinderella!"

I nodded with a pained smile.

He grinned. "I took a photograph! Here, I made a copy for you if I saw you! Here! It's free! Consider it my thanks for a great performance."

I smiled and took it.

It was a picture of me and Itachi kissing in the play.

I felt tears well up but thanked the man.

After turning away from him, I made a mad dash for the hotel room.

The door slammed shut behind me and I flopped onto the bed, glaring at the picture. I looked so PASSIONATE. I was such an idiot! Of course Itachi was acting! Why hadn't I read the last page?!

I felt tears fall, giving the picture a new wet and spotty look.

I threw the picture down and decided that I would MAKE myself forget.

The town was full as I dashed through looking for the one place I really wanted for the first time in my life.

I found it and went inside.

~Kisame & Itachi~

Itachi looked around the room and spotted Kisame.

"Where is Morgan? She's not back from changing yet?"

Kisame remembered her telling him she was heading back early.

"Oh, she went back to the hotel early."

Itachi sighed. "Well, if she doesn't have to sit through this I'm gone too."

Kisame shook his head in exasperation. "I'm coming too…"

The duo walked through the city, waving back at people who noticed them. They managed to escape notice most of the way to the hotel before an old man stopped them.

"Ah! You're the Prince from the play! Here, I gave this to your friend earlier. She seemed kind of upset though, and left pretty quickly."

Itachi glanced down to the picture and his eyes widened.

"Morgan?"

Kisame raised his eyebrows at the picture. "She was acting really well, wasn't she?"

Itachi read the passion on her face, gaping down at the picture. "Let's hurry and get to the hotel!"

Kisame nodded and followed.

Itachi glanced around the room. "Morgan?"

No answer.

He walked through the room but couldn't find her.

Kisame followed Itachi, still looking at the photograph. "Did your picture have funny dots on it?"

Itachi frowned and walked back to see what Kisame was talking about.

On Morgan's copy of the kissing picture were five drops left from tears.

His eyes widened. "Damn! She did think it!"

He spun around quickly. "Kisame, where would you go if you were sad or something?!"

He frowned. "I guess… a bar?"

Itachi cursed and dragged Kisame out of the room and through the town.

"Do you know where a bar is?"

Kisame sighed. "We've looking in ten different bars, Itachi! What are we looking for?"

Itachi stopped in the doorway to the bar.

Kisame's eyes widened and Itachi watched in silence.

Morgan was sitting on a table in front of some random guy they didn't know.

"Nooo… You're supposed to ACT like you love me, Mister~! It's not right unless you act~!"

The man smirked. "How about I kiss you like you an actor kisses an actress? Would that suit you?"

She shrugged her shoulders and grinned past her sake-reddened cheeks.

"I don't see why not! No one else seems to be able to kiss me for real. Do you mind if I fall in love with you too during the kiss? No one else minds~!"

He grinned and leaned over to kiss her.

Itachi grabbed Morgan up from the table and threw her over his shoulder.

Morgan struggled weakly against his grip. "Lemmee go~! I wanna go drown myself in sake~!"

Itachi growled. "You are such an idiot!"

Morgan cooed, smiling cheekily at him. "Nu-uh, Itachi-chan! I'm not a baka! And even if I was you have to be the world's Number One Selfish Baka! Ahahahaha!"

Itachi managed to make it to the hotel with her. Kisame was confused the whole way there. "What is she talking about?"

Morgan just kept on talking, waving her arms drunkenly. "Itachi will 'chu' you and make you looooose it! Ahahahaha! Not like he cares, he just wants ya to think he cares… and then BOOM! No more heart! No more heart! Nope! No more heart at all! Ahahahaha! Sake by the dozen, sake by the cart full! Sake, sake, sake!"

Itachi sighed. "I'm going to ditch the drunk in the shower and get her woken up."

Kisame nodded, still confused.

Itachi carried Morgan into the bathroom and set her down in the shower. He turned on the water and Morgan squealed as the cold water drenched her. "Itachi's a heart breaker~! Itachi's a heart breaker~!"

Itachi slammed a hand over her mouth.

"Morgan! Shut up!"

She pried his hand away slowly.

Her eyes narrowed to slits and she grinned stupidly.

"Itachi…"

He glared.

"… broke…"

His eyes narrowed in warning.

"… my…"

Confusion flashed over his face.

"… heart!"

His eyes widened and she added it all together.

"You broke my heart, Itachi-san!"

Itachi watched in shock as tears began to roll over Morgan's cheeks. "I hate you, Itachi! I hate you!" she sobbed.

Morgan gasped as Itachi suddenly jumped in the shower and stood above her.

The water soaked him through.

"What did I do, Morgan?"

She shrugged and said simply without much thought, "You fake kissed me and I fell in love. You broke my heart, you faker."

His lips crashed down on hers.

Her breathing was put on hold as he kissed her.

He pulled away.

She tried again, "You…"

He kissed her again.

He pulled away. "… broke…"

His lips met hers again and again.

"… my…"

He held her in the kiss for a full minute.

As he pulled away she sighed, "… heart."

He was breathing hard.

"Dammit, Morgan!"

Her eyes widened.

He glared at her. "I love you!"

She seemed in shock for a moment.

"I was only acting because you told me not to consider it real!" he shouted.

She looked confused. "Your kiss was… so… perfect… and…"

His lips flew to hers. His hands pinned her arms above her head, the other caressing her face.

He held her there for as long as he could before pulling away.

"Morgan… even if I was acting… even if I was only acting for that play… I DREAMED of kissing you that way! I DREAMED of kissing you like that!"

Her eyes couldn't widen anymore.

Itachi shouted over the pounding of the water. "I LOVE YOU, MORGAN!"

And he kissed her again and again and again until she lay beneath him, gasping for breath.

He managed between breaths, "I… dreamed… of… kissing you… like this!"

His pulled her from the floor of the shower and away from the water as he drowned her in a kiss even better than the one on stage.

"What do I have to do to prove it!?"

She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me again…"

He did. With pleasure.

~Kisame~

His ring glowed in summoning. He glanced at the bathroom. It had been a while and he had pretty much tuned everything out. He flipped a page in his book and pushed his reading glasses higher up on his nose. So they were calling them in for a meeting.

Itachi could be heard screaming at Morgan.

He sighed and let his mind head to the meeting.

~Meeting~

Pein: Where are Itachi and Morgan? Why are you so late?

Kisame saw Madi, Hidan, and Kakuzu in a corner. They were here in person and the others were holograms.

Kisame: Um… well… Itachi and Morgan are a bit… busy… at the moment.

Deidara: WHAT?!

Tobi: Oooooh! Morgan-chan is such a bag girl!

Madi: Go Morgan!

Hidan: *smirks* Go Itachi.

Kisame: *grins* Finally!

Madi: Yeah!

Kisame: Argh… but they are in there… KISSING of all things!

Pein: *chuckles* So is that all? Just kissing?"

Kisame: *eyes widen* Oh my lord… THEY MIGHT DO SOMETHING! WHAT DO I DO THEN?!

Konan: You stay OUT.

Kisame: …

Deidara: GO BACK! STOP THEM! WHERE ARE YOU AT?! I'LL DO IT MYSELF!

Kisame: We're in Konoha getting our nails done. LIKE HECK I'LL TELL YOU!

Kakuzu: This sounds interesting… heh…

Zetsu: Indeed.

Kisame: Now just imagine all of this from MY point of view…

Pein: We don't have to because you were the one who pushed them together.

Kisame: Fine… Well I have to go before they do… bad things.

Others: Yeah… you do that…


	86. Chapter 86

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 86**

I kept my eyes closed as I woke up. I never quite remembered going to sleep. The last thing I remembered was…

I felt a blush creep over my cheeks. And then reality hit.

I shot out of bed, mentally screaming. "PLEASE TELL ME THAT WAS NOT A DREAM!"

My heartbeat skyrocketed and my eyes widened.

No one else was in the room.

I blinked in confusion until someone knocked on the door.

I opened it and saw a maid with a tray of food for one person.

"Good morning! How was your night?"

I blushed and she grinned. "Well, the other two left a message with us for you. Would you like it?"

I nodded and let her in to straighten up.

She placed my food on the little table and handed me the note.

She bustled about as she cleaned the room.

I opened the paper and glanced over the note.

My eyes widened and my cheeks flamed red.

The woman seemed to have read it before, because she grinned at me while she swept the floor.

It read:

 _Morgan-_

 _We have gone to find his Jinchurikki Information at Sir Blagh's house. We will be back soon. Knowing you, you think last night was a dream. It wasn't. I kissed you until you melted in my arms from joy and fainted. You said my name all night in your dreams (much to Kisame's annoyance). I love you and I will be back soon._

 _\- Itachi_

My heart quickened and I felt my face flush again.

The maid stopped cleaning to coo at me. "I love young love~! Ah, so cute!"

I nodded and reread the note again and again and again.

The lady finished up and left me alone to eat.

I ate most of the food and sighed. I decided to leave the room and take the tray to the kitchen.

I dressed in the Akatsuki dress Konan had made me and tied a ribbon around the embroidered Akatsuki cloud to hide my identity.

It was my first time wearing the dress. It was nice to be wearing something so girly after constantly wearing ninja stuff.

The kitchen workers looked up and giggled when they saw me. "Your love letter was so cute!"

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment, ditching my tray and darting out the door quickly.

I found myself on the sidewalk outside of the hotel.

One of the maids walked by and I shouted, "Can you tell my roommates something for me?"

She nodded, so I continued. "Please tell them, 'I'm going out for a walk, so I'll be back soon'."

"Now, where are you going?"

I turned towards the source of the new voice and blushed. Itachi.

He smirked and looked back over his shoulder to Kisame.

"We're going for a walk. Can you wait for the call?"

Kisame nodded with a sly grin.

Itachi turned back to me and we began our walk into the city.

People began to stare and Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"It seems Konan wanted that dress to be an eye catcher…"

I nodded with a blush and he grinned.

It felt so strange… he had never smiled this much in all the times I'd seen him.

I smiled. "That letter… um… the whole staff read it…"

He smirked. "Good, now they know you're taken."

I blushed.

"So, you believe me then? That you never dreamed it?"

He watched my cheeks flush. I smiled and replied quietly, "It's still kinda… hard to believe."

In an instant Itachi had my back pressed to a wall, pinning me in place.

He smirked. "I guess I will just have to etch it into your mind."

I felt shock roll over me as he pulled me in and his lips met mine.

I memorized the feel of his lips on mine and curled into him.

He smirked into the kiss. I could just imagine his voice shouting "I win!"

I was getting more and more into it when I heard a person cough awkwardly.

We moved apart and I noticed a CROWD of people watching.

A boy about seven years old pointed at us and shouted, "PDA! PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION! RIGHT HERE! IT'S A PDA!"

I blushed and Itachi scratched the back of his head.

We kept walking down the road and Itachi asked, "Where were you planning on going?"

I smiled. "There was a picture I wanted another copy of."

His eyebrow rose but he nodded.

He walked through the city with his hands in his pockets. I tried to inconspicuously move further and further away from him.

He sighed. "If you are that embarrassed, I will only kiss you in private. Just relax."

I nodded, but my body didn't want to obey. I was still pretty tense.

I heard a wild whoop and turned to see the same old man from yesterday skipping over to me.

"It's you! Hello there!"

I blinked in surprise.

He grinned. "You want another picture?"

I nodded and he beamed, "Well I don't have one with me right now, but I can give you one when I see you next!"

I nodded in thanks and he ran off.

"That was odd…"

Itachi nodded.

"So… did you get to see Sir Blagh today?"

Itachi sighed. "No, he wasn't at home, but his maids said he would call the hotel and get our information so he could contact us."

I nodded and we walked back to the hotel.

Just as I reached the door to our room, Kisame blasted out of the room and accidentally fell on me.

I groaned from his weight and asked, "What in the world are you doing?"

He blinked in surprise. "Um… I was going to come find you. Sir Blagh called."

Itachi nodded. "And what was the catch?"

Kisame smiled halfheartedly. "It's a two part dinner."

Itachi sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let me guess… for me and Morgan?"

Kisame nodded his head. "It's a two part deal. Sir Blagh's date has already set up all the outfits for you two to wear."

I frowned. This was unexpected. "When is it scheduled?"

"Tonight!"

"WHAT?!"

Itachi sighed. "Let's get this over with."

I nodded and left to take a shower.

~Dinner part 1~

I walked in my street clothes up to a HUGE mansion.

A maid met me at the door and grinned.

"I watched your performance! It was amazing! I especially loved the wedding scene, it was so romantic!"

Itachi looked away and she took my arm.

"My boss told me to get you ready for the traditional dinner!"

Itachi's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

I frowned. "I'm confused. Is this bad?"

Itachi looked down, eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean a traditional tea ceremony?"

The woman grinned, "Of course! You have to know how to do one or Master won't listen to a word you say!"

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment before looking to me and nodding. "Let's go."

I nodded and followed the maid to a dressing room.

She smiled. "Strip! I'll help you into your kimono!"

I did as I was told and she dressed me up like she wanted. She did my hair and I looked in the mirror.

It was pretty cool, I looked Japanese!

She took my elbow and led me into the hallway to meet Itachi.

I gaped at him.

He was in a kimono.

I felt my cheeks heat up and he sighed. "Don't say a word the whole dinner."

I blinked in shock and he led me into the room ahead.

The man who gave me the pictures was sitting here with a woman. HE was Sir Blagh?!

He grinned. "It's nice to see you both again!"

Itachi took in a slow breath and whispered, "Be quiet. Do not say a word."

The old man began to laugh. "Ah, you are so funny, my friend! You need not tell the girl that! I want to hear her voice!"

Itachi bowed low. "I am sorry, but she has not been trained in the tea ceremony as I have."

Sir Blagh raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so? Well then… let's see just how well you know the tea ceremony. If you cannot please me with this tea ceremony, I will kill her!"

I blinked in surprise as nine guards suddenly had knives to my throat.


	87. Chapter 87

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 87**

My eyes skimmed over the men around me as I count the blades at my neck. Itachi nodded ever so slightly to me and I grinned. "You guys should study who your opponents are!"

My spikes shot up from the floor. The tiny ones no one could really see jabbed through the knives and left them looking like Swiss cheese. The larger spikes shot through my captors' clothes and shoved them straight up and into the ceiling. They were pinned there, looking confused on how they GOT there.

I turned back to the old man. "Now then, what were you saying about a tea party?"

Itachi sighed. "We want information. You can give it to us or…?"

He glanced to me. I let a chakra spike shoot up right next to his neck.

He laughed. "So cute! I love kids like you two! Come on, then. Entertain me more!"

I glared at him and watched as several more guards rushed in. Itachi closed his eyes in exasperation. "You wanted training, right? Well, here you go. Fight them with only taijutsu and no spikes." I nodded, shifting into a defense stance. He smirked and turned to face his half of them.

I closed my eyes. Itachi and I had been working on my flexibility for a while now. Of course, I never let anyone in on it. Where would the fun be in that?

I let out a quick breath and my eyes flashed open.

I ran at the first few and jumped over their heads. They spun around as I landed on my feet, kicking off the ground and landing on my hands. I laughed at their confusion as I whipped my legs around in an arc and knocked them off their feet.

I used the momentum from spinning to cartwheel up and face the rest.

I was definitely getting better at this!

Itachi had already beat his opponents and was moving on to some of mine. With a sigh I punched the one next to me. There wasn't much point in using all of my power. Simple punches and kicks seemed to be enough for these guys.

I turned back to the old man as the last one fell at my feet. He laughed. Again.

Is this man INSANE?!

He chuckled and lazily leaned his head on one hand. "You two are amazing! I can't help but be impressed. How about some hired ninja now?"

I glanced to the ceiling as several ninja dropped into the room. I groaned. "You'd think Kisame would have come in by now." Itachi sighed and shrugged. "Not his style." With a sigh and a nod I turned to face the ninja. "You are SO going down!"

I attacked with a spike. Itachi didn't seem to mind.

One of the ninja's eyes widened and he shouted, "H-HIDORI!"

I froze in shock, my spike stopping mid-attack, and a fist collided with my face.

I was thrown on the ground.

My eyes trailed to the three the ninja who were now just staring. I saw Iwagakure symbols on their headbands. They were from the same village as Hidori. They thought I was…

A kunai flew at me and my spike crushed it.

With a glare I stood. "My name is not Hidori."

They looked scared.

"B-But Hidori… you went to the academy with us!"

I crossed my arms in anger. "You think you knew me? Well, my name isn't Hidori. My name is Morgan. Get it right."

I felt Itachi's hand on my shoulder. "Morgan, stay calm."

My eyes glared into him before looking to the floor. "Do me a favor?"

He nodded and raised an eyebrow. "You deal with them. I will get the information."

Itachi nodded and I walked towards the man.

The old man, who had watched the interplay, turned to watch as I approached him. "So you know them?"

I smiled a humorless smile. "No. But you are about to know my chakra more than you want to if you don't tell me what you want."

He smirked. "Nope! How about some samurai?"

The door opened and Kisame walked in, "You call those men samurai? They sucked. Beat them in under a minute."

The man looked shocked. I grinned. "Nice to know you got back-up, right?"

Sir Blaugh gulped nervously.

Kisame sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "You really were weird in there, Morgan."

Itachi looked ahead at me as I walked in front of them. I looked over my shoulder and grinned sadistically. "I know! Wasn't it great?!"

Kisame frowned. "What's up with you? Are you sick or something?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Nothing's wrong."

Itachi glared at me.

I didn't even flinch. Adrenaline was pumping in my system and I was feeling pumped. My eyes seemed to glare on their own and my mouth twitched up in eagerness. I was ready for another fight.

Itachi grabbed my shoulder as I turned away from him to walk on.

I turned around to him.

His Sharingan eyes blazed in mine and I felt dizzy before blacking out.

…

"Was it something to do with 'her' name?"

"It was the only thing different. We can only hope it really was. If only it had to do with the fighting…"

"That's enough, Itachi. You stopped her before she lost it last time. You did it now. You can do it in the future."

"My three months are not over yet… I'm due for another relapse or two…"

"Then we will do what we can. That is all we CAN do."

" …"

"Itachi?"

"I understand."

Kisame sighed. "Anyway. Seeing as this lead was a dead end… let's report to leader."

"Right…"

Pein's Rinnegan eyes flickered towards the holograms of Itachi and Kisame.

Konan frowned. "Where is Morgan?"

The other two sighed heavily. "She's not dead."

Konan suddenly looked cheerful. "Good! We got word from Hidan and Kakuzu earlier. Madi has just arranged to go with Deidara and Tobi now."

Kisame sighed. "She'll be with us after that, right?"

Pein nodded. "That's right. I will have something set up for you to do with her."

Itachi bowed his head slightly and glanced to Kisame, who looked away uncomfortably. "We… do have a few something to report."

Pein motioned for him to continue.

"The lead was false and a dead end," Kisame stated.

"But there was a complication… and thus Morgan's absence…" Itachi added.

Pein sighed. "She lost it, didn't she?"

Itachi shook his head quickly. "She didn't go completely insane like last time. This time was more of a… Hidori-like stage. She went cold blooded and I had to knock her out."

Pein sighed. "If she worsens or continues to slip into these… contact me immediately."

The duo nodded.

Kisame laughed, trying to ease the tension. "No worries about that, right Itachi?"

Itachi sighed. "None at all."

The two glanced up and saw Morgan sitting cross legged, facing them.

She watched them carefully. "Did I really lose it?"

Itachi nodded.

She glanced away. "I see… And Madi is coming next week?"

"Yes."

She smiled. "Good! I was just needed a strong partner!"

Itachi stared in surprise and Kisame looked insulted. She grins, "Just kidding~!"

She stood and dusted off her pants. With a happy laugh and a giggle she shrugged on her pack. "Onwards to wherever the heck we were going~!"

Itachi stood and beckoned to Kisame. "Right. Do you remember the mission we had at Hoshi village?" Morgan looked to the sky in thought. "The one with that lovey-dovey couple?" "Yes."

Morgan smiled. "I can't wait! Let's go!"


	88. Chapter 88

Note from Author-chan: For you Sasuke fans… get ready. He will star here soon enough. Yay for him, yay for you :)

 **~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 88**

"Hey!" I called. The woman in front of me turned around with a confused look on her face. She looked at me for half a second before recognizing me. "Hey! I haven't seen you in ages!" I grinned at her. "Yeah, it's been a long time."

Itachi walked up with his hands in his pockets. He waved to the man accompanying the woman. I smiled smugly. "I'm guessing you'd rather listen to them then look at cat pictures again?" "Yeah," Itachi sighed.

Kisame glanceed at them all as he finally caught up to us. He glanced away as Itachi talked familiarly to the man and I with the woman. The woman noticed him. "Oh, hi! Are you Morgan-chan's friend?" Kisame managed to nod and I smiled at him.

The woman laughed. "My name is Kohana! It's nice to meet you… um… what's your name?" Kisame muttered his name and she smiled before turning back to me as I spoke. "So I heard you were getting married! I just had to come and see!"

The woman nodded. "That's right! You three are welcome to come." I smiled brightly and she looked over me almost to check if I was still the same as before.

Kohana: !

Me: ?

Kohana: That ring!

Me: O.O Eh?

Kohana: That ring on your wedding finger! You're engaged?!

Me: O/./O

Kisame: O.o

Itachi: *chokes*

I gaped at her as she picked my hand up in hers. She examined it. "Innocence? AWWWWW!"

"I'm n-not en-engaged! I-It's a… club ring," I stuttered.

Itachi looked away and scratched the back of his head. His cheeks flushed a light red. Kisame just looked thoughtful.

Kisame's new realization: _I wonder if I'd be godfather… hm…_

Kohana laughed. "Oh so you just like the ring THAT much? Ahahaha!"

I blushed and she giggled. "Oh, I forgot to introduce you! This is my future husband, Kenji-kun."

The man nodded to me and looked to the woman.

"Kohana… do you think she would fit the part you needed?"

Kohana's eyes lit up. "You're right! She would!"

I blinked. What part?

Kohana grinned and clutched my hand in hers. "Will you be my flower girl, Morgan?"

Me: O.O

Itachi: ^/\\\\\\\^

Kisame: =3

Hotel

I walked around in circles. "What was I supposed to say? I couldn't just say no!"

Itachi shrugged. "It's no problem. It could help us with our mission."

"Itachi just wants to see you in a dress again," Kisame smirked.

I blinked and ignored him. "So it won't bother you guys? I'll be busy the next few days getting ready…"

The grinning and blushing Itachi muttered, "It's fine."

Kisame nodded and winked.

I sighed and gave them a happy nod. "Alright then! Well then, I'm off!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "What? Where are you going?"

I grinned. "The flower girl is needed to help with the loose ends. I'm staying with Kohana and Kenji!"

The two look shocked as I walked out the door with my things.

Itachi: T/.\T Why me?

Kisame: The world just hates you.

Itachi: I thought so…

A little background information and review

Kohana and Kenji were first introduced before on a mission with only Morgan and Itachi. The two were spying on Kenji because of the new ninja academy being opened in their village of Hoshi. As we found out, Kenji opened and gave the academy to his love so they could be married. His high wealth and her low wages had been keeping them apart. After being caught by the loving couple and finding out their intentions, Morgan and Kohana became good friends while Itachi was stuck with her mother looking at old cat pictures. Poor Itachi.

Kohana's house

I stepped into the HUGE manor and gasped. "Wow, Kohana!" Steps could be heard from upstairs as a woman rushed to meet me. She squealed happily and rushed over to me. "You did come! I have your dress to try on now!" I grinned and walked upstairs with her.

She escorted me into a room and I saw the dresses. Kenji sure was loaded. Lucky girl that Kohana…

She threw opened a closet door and I saw another dress.

Inner thoughts: _I feel bad for the girl who has to wear that. It looks so TIGHT._

"This will be your dress~!" Kohana cooed.

I cursed internally.

She grinned. "Itachi will love it!"

I groaned. "Oh please no!"

"Come on! Try it on! It won't fit anyone else, but it was just so CUTE!"

I took a deep breath and slipped into it. _Please don't let it fit. Please let me be too fat. Please tell me I didn't lose weight working with the Akatsuki…_

I groaned. It fit. It fit perfectly. It hugged my every curve. I cursed being a fit ninja. This was going to be very embarrassing.

She smiled and giggled. "It looks like you are going to get married, not me!"

I flushed bright red.

The mission assignment

Pein assigned Itachi's team to map out the city and assess the ninja there. If any were too strong: kill them. If any were too resourceful: get rid of them. If there was any hope for this new ninja village, Itachi and Kisame were meant to ruin it. Of course, Kohana and Kenji were NOT to be harmed. Since Morgan wouldn't have liked the "if they were too good" part, she was just told it was a scouting assignment.

Itachi and Kisame

Kisame walked into the data room. "Not many guards here." Itachi nodded. "They don't know how to yet." Kisame hummed in agreement as he opened the files.

It showed all of the students' names and grades. "They are all idiots…" Itachi took the folder.

 **School average for Taijutsu: D**

 **School average for Genjutsu: D**

 **School average for Ninjutsu: F**

 **School average for weaponry: C**

 **School average for strategy: D**

Itachi banged his head on the wall. "Morons." Kisame nodded with a sigh.

The door opened and Kenji walked in, a wary expression on his face. "I heard you in here."

The two ninja froze.

The man smiled cautiously. "You already know that the only reason this place was opened was to give me a chance to marry Kohana. All the same… who are you? Why do you need all of this information?"

Itachi eyed Kenji with a blank expression. "We are an organization known as Akatsuki. We only need to evaluate your talent. I see no harm to us, therefore we do not act."

Kenji sighed dejectedly. "Akatsuki? So Morgan is not interested in being friends with Kohana…"

Itachi smiled ever so slightly. "Not quite. She's always been a bit… innocent. She was quite excited to meet Kohana here and see her wedding. She's different than the rest of us."

Kenji sat down in a chair. "I don't see a problem with you here. I don't mind your interactions within this city. But if you do not mind, please leave Kohana alone. Morgan may stay if she wishes, but I don't want you in our house."

Itachi nodded. "Understandable."

"I have one more condition."

Kisame tensed. "… And it is?"

"As soon as the wedding is over. Leave."

The two nodded.

"Even Morgan."

Itachi nodded slowly. "I will tell her what you've requested."

Kenji nodded and turned away from them to leave.

"Do not murder while in this city."

The door shut and Kisame chuckled. "He'd already given us his last request. Can we ignore that last statement?"

Itachi didn't speak. His mind was on other things and places and people. He didn't need another thing on top of his stack of things to consider.


	89. Chapter 89

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 89**

My forehead hit the table and I let out a small groan. Kenji looked at me over the table as I reached blindly for the plate of scrambled eggs. He smirked and tossed me a fork. "She keeps you up late?" he asked. I nodded.

It was currently two days until wedding. My status: Flower Girl for their wedding. Why couldn't she have chosen some little girl with more energy?

I slammed my head into the table again. Kenji glanced at me before taking another bite of his breakfast. "I invited your friends for breakfast, by the way." Instantly I straightened up and fixed my hair. He chuckled and looked to the door as Itachi entered the room. I smiled at him and his eyes widened. "You look beat." I rolled my eyes. "That was a blunt description." He smiled.

Kisame walked in and groaned. "Why are we up this early when we don't have to GO anywhere?" Itachi plopped a plate in front of him. "We're eating, you twit." Kisame sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Suuuuuuuuure…"

I smiled at him just as nine little kids burst into the kitchen. Kenji just sipped his coffee as the brats swarmed the table and grabbed food. I smiled and snatched Kisame and Itachi some food before it was devoured.

"Where did these kids come from?!" Kisame asked, lifting his plate away from grabby little hands. I had to yell over the roar of kids to answer him. "They are the worker's kids! We have to put up with them during the preparations!" A little boy ran into my leg and fell over. I tried to smile as I helped him up. I could feel the act wearing off, though. I REALLY needed some sleep…

Kenji smirked and whispered in one kid's ear. The girl walked over to Kisame and asked, "Are you really a fish?" Kisame glared at her and the girl screamed. Three boys hit him with wooden swords. "Don't scare girls, you meanie!"

Kenji leaned over to the two ninja. "It would be a big load off of Morgan's shoulders if you could entertain them a while!" I looked at him curiously. Kisame and Itachi looked to me and sighed. "Hey kids… want to… play?"

I felt my eyes widen and the kids jumped and screamed, "YEAH!" I watched as Itachi and Kisame were driven out the door by the kids. I looked to Kenji, who was grinning from ear to ear. "We have the day off today, Kenji." He nodded. "I know!" "Why have them take the kids, then?" "Because I want a laugh." I grinned.

~Itachi and his squad of three~

Kid one: Let's play tag!

Kid two: I want to play hide and seek!

Kid three: LET'S PLAY NINJA!

Itachi: Um… ' _Come on Itachi… just… play with them… urgh…'_

Kisame was busy with the REST of the kids playing 'catch the shark' all through the village. Itachi was left with three: two boys and a girl.

Kid one was a boy. He was around ten with black hair and green eyes. He had a serious face but was always laughing.

Kid two was a girl with brown hair and eyes. She was the one to request hide and seek. She was around the same age as the other two but also the shortest.

Kid three was a boy as blond as the sun with dark brown eyes. He was REALLY loud.

Itachi noticed a few things right away. Kid one liked kid two, kid two liked kid three, and kid three didn't give a crap about kid two but was best friends with kid one. "What are your names?"

The black haired boy smirked. "Kane."

The girl smiled shyly. "Mimi!"

The last laughed. "Sho!"

Itachi nodded. "My name is Itachi."

Kane crossed his arms and looked up at Itachi. "Are you a ninja, mister? Morgan is an awesome ninja! She showed us some cool tricks this morning!"

"Yes. I have been a ninja since I was three years old" Itachi replied. The kids looked awed.

Sho clenched his fists in excitement. "I can't wait to play with you, sensei!"

Itachi's eyebrow rose. "Sensei, hm? Well then, I guess we will play ninja."

They all looked excited. Itachi's eyes closed slightly before he smiled.

"The first thing a ninja needs to know… Actually, let's skip a thing or two. The game is you hide, then attack me with all you've got. Beat me and I'll buy you all lunch."

The kids nodded. "Three, two, one. Go."

They jumped into the surrounding alleys and hid. Itachi smirked. This promised to be interesting…

"The hark known as Kisame"

I ducked behind a trashcan to hide from the stampede of kids. I let out a sigh of relief as the last one walked past me. The girl's head turned around backwards without moving her body. I shook in fear. WHAT WAS WITH THESE KIDS?! She turned all the way around and shouted in a deep manly voice, "GET HIM!"

I cursed and jerked to my feet as I ran again. A kid grabbed my shirt and I found myself pulled to the bottom of the pile of children. A hand found me and I was hoisted up. Morgan sighed. "You fail the babysitting portion of life." I hugged myself to her. "THANK GOD!" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "So I'm guessing Itachi has the other three?" I nodded and she laughed. "Come on, let's find them!"

Team Itachi

Kane jumped and Itachi stepped to the side without a problem. Mimi skidded to a stop and made to tackle him. He caught her and maneuvered her away. This had been going on for nearly thirty minutes will all FOUR of them laughing and playing and goofing.

Itachi's eyes twinkled as he messed with them. Mimi shouted, "Come on guys! Let's take him down~!" The three all leaped and Itachi let them nail him. They laughed, all three kids sitting on him.

Kane, who was sitting on Itachi's chest, pointed at Itachi's face victoriously. "You have to buy us lunch, sensei!"

Mimi sighed. "He clearly let us beat him."

Kane looked upset at her statement. Sho, who was lying on Itachi's legs, chanted, "Curry! Curry! Curry!" The girl looked excited and hopped off of Itachi's shoulder and over to Sho. "Yeah, Curry!" "But you don't even like curry, Mimi-chan…" Kane whined.

Itachi smiled. "Curry it is."

He stood and lifted Mimi and Kane up onto his shoulders as he walked. Sho bounced ahead as he laughed and bragged about his "being such an awesome ninja!" Itachi felt himself smile. His eyes closed and he laughed. Mimi giggled before asking, "You and Morgan-chan are gonna get married, right?"

Itachi froze a second before continuing walking. "I don't know, Mimi." She laughed. "I think you should! You both are too nice not to!" Itachi smiled and Kane stated, "Morgan made us dinner last night and played tag with us this morning!" Itachi nodded slowly. "She always was a kid at heart…" His eyes fell onto Sho, who bounced up in his face. "CURRY SENSEI!"

Itachi felt his smile return as they walked into the restaurant. Little kids were so strange. He sat down with them and chuckled as all three tried to sit where they wanted. Sad thing was, they needed a round table and these were square. He laughed as he ended up with Mimi beside him. Sho sat across from her and Kane looked very cross.

The food was brought out about the time Morgan and Kisame walked in the place. The kids stopped eating when they saw her and grinned. "Morgan-chan!" She laughed at them and then glanced to Itachi in surprise. Her eyes softened. Itachi wondered for a moment why. Kisame plopped down beside Itachi and groaned. "You got the easy bunch."

Morgan took the opportunity to order what she wanted and paid herself. She leaned on the wall next to the table. The three kids glared at Kisame for sitting beside Itachi and not letting Morgan sit there. Itachi laughed. Kisame's eyes widened.

Kisame's thoughts: Has Itachi EVER laughed like this?

Morgan's thoughts: He looks so happy here…

Itachi's thoughts: (None at the moment…)

The waiter brought Morgan her drink and she grinned to herself. She took a little sip and turned from the others. Kisame looked at her, startled. "What in the world are you doing?!" She didn't reply and finished it off. Mimi sighed. "Morgan-chan… you shouldn't drink. It's bad for you."

Itachi's eyes widened and he pushed Kisame out and into the aisle. He took the cup and sighed. "Sake? Are you serious?" She thumped his forehead and smiled. "We can't all be as happy as you!" He saw the stress in her eyes and sighed. "You don't have to drink. You know you don't take it well."

Morgan grinned and kissed his cheek easily before walking out the door. Mimi sighed. "She's really tired." Itachi nodded and paid their bill. "I have places to go, kids, so I will dismiss you."

They all stood and saluted him. "See ya, Itachi-sensei!" And they darted out of the room. Kisame smiled softly. "You always had a soft spot for kids." Itachi sighed. "How much did Morgan drink?" "About half the cup. She poured the rest away. I don't think she really cares for the stuff."

Itachi sighed and stood. "Well, I'm going to go and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Kisame nodded and watched him go. "As long as I'm not babysitting!" he called after him. A little girl walking in front of him stopped. Her head turned to him without her body and she said in a man's deep voice, "FISHY."

Kisame screamed like a little girl and ran after Itachi. "WAIT FOR ME!"


	90. Chapter 90

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 90**

Itachi and Kisame look to one another. "Well this is odd," Kisame muttered. Itachi nodded. "I feel strange here." "I don't think I've ever been to one before." "I feel like I'm coming to watch Morgan get married." Kisame chuckled. "Then shouldn't you be up there?" Itachi looked away, eyes landing on the floor. "No." Kisame sighed. "It's starting, I think…"

~20 minutes later~

Kisame sighed. "I thought it was starting." Itachi's eye twitched and he kept fidgeting. "I don't think I can take this anymore!" He was VERY uncomfortable in the tux. Kisame sighed in relief as the music finally started playing. The door opened and Morgan stepped into view.

Her head was looking to the ground with closed eyes. A small smile played on her lips. Long lashes lifted slowly. Gloved fingers moved to the petals of her bouquet and she grasped a white bloom. Her hands moved out and let the three little petals flutter to the ground. She had makeup on for the first time either had seen her with before.

The dress hugged her figure perfectly. The flowers on the dress made her face glow. She took a step forward and a leg moved from the dress, showing off her calf. The high heels wrapped around her ankles and finished the dress.

Kisame and Itachi blinked in shock as she moved in time to the music down the aisle. Kisame shoved a tissue to Itachi's nose as Morgan finished her duty and stood in her position. The music floated through the air and the bride walked into the room. Itachi's eyes never left Morgan.

Kisame watched, internally roaring with laughter. Itachi shook as he tried to stay still. Morgan kept her face looking to the ground as her hands gripped the final rose to her waist, where her arms had hung. Sharingan eyes flickered in and out. Kisame turned from the wedding and watched Itachi with a smirk, glancing around before discreetly pulling out a camera and recording Itachi for the rest of the ceremony. Morgan was going to love watching this later.

After exchanging vows and kissing her now-husband, Kohana reached for Morgan and took her hands, eyes shining as she quietly expressed her gratitude. She smiled happily and Morgan pulled her into a small hug. Itachi groaned. Kisame chuckled. Itachi was about to lose control. Heheheheh.

They watched as the wedding finished and people moved to congratulate the couple. Morgan watched them with a laugh. People walked over to her and complimented her. She smiled and thanked them. Kisame looked over for Itachi but found him already halfway to Morgan's side. He chuckled, switching the camera back on just in case Itachi did something ridiculous.

Itachi darted up to Morgan and Kisame ran to hear the conversation. Morgan had been talking to the preacher person. Itachi ran up to her, grabbed her hand, and shouted at the priest, "MARRY US NOW!" Morgan looked like she was going to die before ditching Itachi and escaping back to the bride. Kisame laughed at Itachi as he looked lost. He'd been watching the whole ceremony with all that jealousy! Kisame had never seen such a thing. Out of ITACHI of all people!

Morgan ignored him as he caught back up. Kisame followed, holding the camera where it could catch every word. "Heheheheheh…"

~Morgan~

It was weird. What the heck was Itachi ON? I took his elbow and let him lead me to the after party, but he was beginning to creep me out. His eyes blinked Sharingan back and forth and he twitched if I moved away. I sighed and he looked to me. I smiled at him and he grinned widely back. Yeah, he's gotta be sick.

I walked into the party and saw Kenji and his new wife already dancing. They twirled by and saw me. I smiled and looked to Itachi. He looked at the dance floor then to me. "You… want to?" I look away, embarrassed. "Well, I have been practicing with her, but I'm not very good." He grinned. "Well, let's see… follow my lead." I smiled. This was going to end badly. I didn't know much and probably neither did Itachi. Great.

The first song was slow and basically just swaying back and forth. Itachi put his hands in the right places and I laughed. "You aren't so bad, old man." He chuckled as he seemed to recover from whatever had him acting weirdly before. "You aren't too bad yourself, squirt." I laughed at him and the song ended. A fast waltz started up. I HAD practiced a little but I tried to walk off the floor anyway. He caught my arm when I tried to brush past him. "You don't trust me?" I laughed. "Let's see if we can at least make it through the song!"

Kisame from the sidelines: Heheheheheh… She's in for it.

Itachi's hands moved slightly and my eyes widened. His eyes turned serious and a smiled twitched on his lips. He took the first step and I spun around. My eyes widened further as he moved me across the dance floor. People clapped and shouted as we danced. He was perfect. He knew every move. I felt at ease. He was holding all of my weight in his arms as he spun me.

I closed my eyes and laughed. He smiled and his eyes softened. I tried to move how I had learnt, but he whispered, "Don't. Just let me." I nodded and felt his arms lift me into the air and spin me all around. I landed and he lead me around the floor in a large circle. It was coming naturally now, so I laughed and had fun twirling and spinning. He smiled and spun me one last time as the song ended.

Kisame clapped as we came to a stop, smirking as other people flocked onto the floor. I smiled and looked to Itachi. He looked annoyed at the girls asking him to dance. I grinned evilly and skipped over to Kisame. "Want to dance, Kisame?" "Uhmmm…"

"I'll take that as a yes!" I took his hands and lead him onto the dance area. He looked so out of place, not knowing what to do. "Put your hand on my waist and take my hand." He gulped. "I feel like I'm dancing with somebody's wife. Itachi is gonna freak." I laughed and let him spin me. "Come on! This is fun!" He sighed and we danced the rest of the song.

Itachi was watching with his arms crossed as he leaned on a wall, watching Kisame with a glare that clearly said 'Watch where you put your hands.' I just spun and danced and laughed. Kisame seemed to catch on by song two. I let the song change slow us down and into a slow dance. Kisame sighed. "He's glaring at me." I thought for a moment before smirking. "Wanna freak him out?" Kisame grinned. "Yeah."

We looked to Itachi and winked as we stuck out our tongues at him. He tried to nonchalantly cross his arms. I got closer to Kisame. Itachi's eye twitched. Kisame's hand slid down a TINY bit, noticed by the Uchiha whose back straightened off the wall. Just a little more… and I put my head on his shoulder. Itachi walked straight out into the dance and cleared his throat. Kisame backed away, laughing. I giggled and covered my mouth at his strangled and irritated expression.

I felt a prod on my back and turned. Itachi's eyes softened; It was one of the kids he had played with before. Kane was his name, I think.

He looked to Itachi and asked, "Can I dance with her?" Itachi smiled slightly and backed away to let him run forward into my arms.

The little girl from his play date was there and asked to dance with him. Itachi accepted and we passed each other as we danced. A little later, as Itachi and the girl were passing us, a slow song started and the two pushed us together.

I smiled at Itachi and we danced the night away. I felt perfectly at home in his arms.

I waved from the crowd as the other girls crowded around me to catch the bouquet. The guys were all gathered around the edges of the room, leaning on the walls and talking. Kenji and Itachi were talking and drinking punch as they eyed the group of loud girls around me.

The bouquet flew high into the air and I watched it slowly fall. I watched as one rose separated from the bouquet and fell in my direction, the other girls rushing for the rest. I let the rose fall into my hands. I looked at it. A thorn bit into my thumb and blood trickled down the stem. I frowned at it and Itachi walked over. He saw the blood and sighed. "You always manage to get hurt somehow…" I smile at him as he took the rose from me. He reached into his suit, grabbing a handkerchief and wiping away the blood before stripped the rose of the thorns and placing it in my hair. I smiled at the gestures. He was in a romantic mood tonight.

I walked out to watch the happy couple climb into a carriage to leave. I waved to them and closed my eyes. This week was so fun. I couldn't believe it was finally over. I walked with the others to the hotel to change. I called bathroom and slipped inside to escape the dress. As I finished changing into regular clothes, the door burst open and an ecstatic Madi bounced in and grabbed me in a tight hug. I felt myself smile widely as I hugged her back before we walked back to the main room.

Tobi and Deidara poked their heads in to say hi. Deidara looked interested and Tobi just laughed. Itachi sighed. "Close the door, Deidara." He grinned and followed the order. Madi cooed, "We have a mission!" Itachi and Kisame glanced to me and smiled. I nodded and began to repack my things. Tobi and Deidara had brought something to eat, so we all sat around together. It was a quiet and cozy way to end a wonderful night.


	91. Chapter 91

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

" **Sasuke Saga"**

 **Chapter 91**

Time: 3:21 a.m.

Date: How the heck would I know? Fall at some point on a Monday.

Mood: Drowsy

Reasoning: IT WAS 3:21 IN THE MORNING.

Thoughts: Ugh.

Reasoning: IT WAS 3:21 IN THE MORNING.

Appearance: Out of control messy hair and wrinkled cloak over bed clothes

Reasoning: IT WAS 3:21 IN THE MORNING.

Reasoning for getting up: Mission.

 **Mission: One of the Akatsuki bases was attracting attention. It was rumored a gang lived in it and we were going to move them out. It was also rumored that the people who were in the base had camps all over the forest. We were to also find these and eliminate them.**

I rubbed my eyes as I finally began to wake up. Madi looked okay. Dang her and her lack of needing sleep. I blinked until I adjusted to the light, stretching my aching arms high over my head with a groan. My partners smiled at me and tossed me food.

Madi stood up and struck a fighting pose. "I'm so ready for some butt kicking!" I rolled my eyes at her with a grin. Itachi began to explain the mission with more detail. Some people had found the Akatsuki base a while back and forbidden the village nearby from entering. Apparently they took residence in it. They turned out to be thieves and kept kidnapping travelers and villagers.

After a long and annoying discussion I didn't care in a thing in the world about, we decided on teams. Itachi and Kisame would head for the base, while Madi and I would comb the forest. If we were overtaken, light a flare. If we took care of the bad guys, meet back up at this dead tree we found by noon. If one team was not back by then: Search and rescue.

We came to the separation point and split up.

-!-

The time: 6:12 a.m.

Mood: Excited

Reasoning: Fight!

Thoughts: Concentrate on this.

Reasoning: Fight!

Appearance: Newly combed hair hanging down freely. Clean cloak and ninja pants.

Reasoning: I decided to get dressed better as I walked.

Itachi's thoughts at the split up: Not happy.

Itachi's words as he left: "Don't die."

Itachi's actions: A quick look at Morgan and a glare to the trees.

Itachi's feelings: Unease

Reason: He didn't know really.

I stepped into the woods with Madi. She silently nodded and we took the first leap into the trees. I couldn't feel much chakra around me. These people were either very far away or really good at hiding. I decided to be cautious and kept a kunai in my palm. Madi did the same after seeing me do so.

The first men attacked twenty minutes later. We detected them within ten minutes of them meeting us. They weren't good at hiding themselves. Nine men and two women attacked us. I took out half of them quickly with my unseeable spikes. Madi took the others out with a few taijutsu tricks.

I glanced over the bodies. I never killed them. I just knocked them out and left someone else to kill for me. Madi chose to brush the dust off her clothes as I walked ahead, looking at our attackers. There were no headbands or signs on them to state who they were. I sighed. It wasn't a gang or they would have a uniform or tattoo or something. Thieves weren't usually ninja. If they WERE ninja, they weren't usually very GOOD ones. If they were good, then they had one awesome boss.

I glanced to Madi as we felt the next group move towards us. This time we would get a hostage and some information. I knocked out all but one and Madi managed to tie their limp bodies to a tree. I guarded the last struggling man as Madi finished the work with the rest.

Hostage: Why didn't you kill me too?!

Madi: We wanted you to watch.

Hostage: I won't say anything.

Me: …

My spike shot up and grazed his cheek. The blood leaked over his chin. He gulped.

Hostage: Th-there are two camps! Each has thirty people!

A kunai stabbed the man in the forehead. I watched as his head slumped into his chest. Without even turning to see who it was, I felt the immense chakra. They had hidden it so well I had never felt it until they LET me. A voice I never expected to hear chuckled. "Who would have guessed that Akatsuki would just walk in to see me?" I felt my skin crawl.

I turned, carefully masking my face. "Orochimaru." He grinned at me in his creepy way and licked his lips. I froze like a rabbit in a trap. Madi glared. "I know you." He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, but I don't know you. Names?" She shifted slightly into a defensive stance and spoke without any fear. "I am Madi and this is Morgan!" Orochimaru grinned, eyeing me. "So the famous Morgan Stream has finally decided to grace me with her presence. How interesting."

Madi's brow furrowed as she glanced at me. "How does he know you?" I frowned. I didn't know how he knew me… but this wasn't going to end well at all. Orochimaru stepped forward."I know as much about you as you must of me." I raised an eyebrow. "I know you almost as well as you know yourself. You don't know anything about me." He smiled and we both stepped closer to one another.

Oro: I know about Hidori.

Me: I know your real form.

Oro: *frown*

Me: *smirk*

Oro: I know about Drew.

Me: I know how you die.

He looked confused.

Me: I saw how you die.

Oro: I know who you love.

Me: I don't care who knows it.

Oro: What about your parents? Would they mind me giving them a visit?

Me: Heh. You've got the wrong girl. My parents are not here.

Oro: Hm.

Me: Do you know where I come from?

Oro: …

Me: I didn't think so, snake.

-!-

The time: 6:43 a.m.

Mood: Serious

Reasoning: Orochimaru

Thoughts: If I kill him now… it will end a lot of pain.

Reasoning: I watched the show and know ALL about him.

Appearance: Windblown hair and crazy smirk.

Reasoning: I had been fighting and running before.

Madi looked between us at my obvious word-war-win. I smirked, and snake-boy hissed slightly. "I wonder what Itachi would think if he saw how I could mangle your body." I grinned at him and stated, "About the same as Kabuto will when I mangle yours." He gleamed, eyes shining. "Is that a threat?" "No it was an invitation for _tea_."

He smirked at me and I returned it. A snake flew at me from behind. Without even moving it dropped dead from my nearly invisible spike attack. He looked intrigued. "I've heard of your abilities. They are most intriguing. Mind if I see them for myself?" I sighed and killed three more of his snakes. "I'm guessing no tea then?"

Madi stepped towards me. "He's mine. Stay back," I said without turning my head. She nodded and stepped away. Orochimaru and I faced off. I took a breath and we both attacked each other.

-Forty Minutes-

The ground sizzled at my feet and I fought for each breath. I shoved my body into a better position. The huge quakes that hit the earth around me knocked my tired legs out and I fell. My chakra was gone. My body was tired. Orochimaru stood over me, grinning. I looked up into his eyes. I wanted to scream. I was so weak compared to him, and now I was going to pay for picking a fight. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. "RUN MADI!"

-!-

As much as I wanted to dart in and attack him, I couldn't. No matter how many times Morgan had stabbed him, he had gotten back up. He had just run her out of chakra and let her fall. She was so tired. My jutsu wouldn't help. Itachi… I needed Itachi. I reached for a flare when Morgan screamed for me to run. I saw the blood on her skin and the burns on her legs as the rocks melted around her.

I panicked.

I took off running. I sprinted as fast as I could in the direction of our teammates. I was too scared to attack. I was too scared to light the flare. I was just in a state of shock. I had never seen Morgan so tired… and hurt… and scared…

She was my best friend, and I was too scared to watch her die.


	92. Chapter 92

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 92**

Madi only lit the flare as she neared the tree. She skidded to a stop just as Itachi and Kisame reached the place, panting. They looked around in shock and confusion. Madi looked terrified. "MORGAN WAS ATTACKED!" Her eyes were wide and she was breathing hard. Her face was red from panic and her body was shaking.

Itachi looked shocked. "Where is she now?" "I don't know! She told me to run so I did!" Madi cried. Kisame cursed. "Why didn't you light the flare as soon as the fight started?" She dropped onto her knees. "I was so scared. I've never seen anyone like that. Of course I've seen strong people in the Akatsuki… but Morgan was… totally annihilated."

Itachi knelt down and looked in her eyes. "Who attacked her?" "His name was… O-oh," she stuttered. They both look confused. "His name was Orochimaru." Kisame's eyes widened and Itachi froze. The Mongekyo Sharingan swirled. "Damn…" Kisame looked pale. "Orochimaru… fought Morgan?"

Itachi stood and shouted at Madi. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! MORGAN IS STILL IN TRAINING! SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH OPPONENTS LIKE THAT!" Madi began to scream back. "SHE FOUGHT SO HARD! SHE FOUGHT WITH EVERYTHING! NO ONE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER THAN SHE DID! SHE COULD HAVE EVEN KILLED YOU!" She coughed and gasped for breath. "Morgan… still… wasn't enough. I watched her… I couldn't do anything. She lost… She's gone."

Itachi pulled her to her feet. "Come on! We might not be too late!" Madi nodded and followed blindly. She knew it was too late. Morgan's corpse wouldn't even be there.

-!-

Of course Orochimaru never killed me. I don't really remember what happened, but something cold and hard had been placed around my neck. I felt it now, even in my sleep. My fingers couldn't move to touch it. I wanted to get it off. It itched. It hurt me. It stung.

I woke up, wondering why I couldn't move my hands. I was chained down to a table. I blinked up at the bright light and groaned. I couldn't really see anything else. I could tell a few things from the feelings around me. I was in a room with one door and no windows. The walls were thicker than I could break through. My chakra was gone. I was helpless.

The door opened and something blocked the light from my face. "Good afternoon, Morgan." I glared up at the glasses above me and he grinned. "Nice to see you awake. Orochimaru did surprise me when he brought you back."

I spat at him. "Bite me." He sighed. "No thank you. I know very well you are taken." I glared at him and he chuckled. "So much spirit for a test subject." So that was why I was here. Orochimaru wanted to test on me. I struggled against the chains and Kabuto smirked.

"Orochimaru designed the collar on your neck. Or at least, he had it rigged up from the Land of Ice. I wonder if you know of it." I flinched. "This is a chakra collar, Morgan. Do you know what it does?" I nodded heavily. "It sucks out my chakra…" He nodded.

I fell back on the table and he chuckled. "Is that the end?" I sighed and tried to muster another glare. "I can't do anything." He grinned. "True. I shall summon Orochimaru-sama." I watched him leave. So I was in Orochimaru's lair. I was going to be a test subject… and I was most likely going to die. Wasn't my life so full of joy?

I waited for them to come. So this was how I would die. I laughed and thought back on all the many times I SHOULD have died. They were more than I could count. I wonder why I ever thought I would die by such trivial things. Like a car crash, or when Konoha attacked, or when the Akatsuki fought with me, or during training with Itachi… or on missions… or drowning… or under falling rocks… or by Hidori… or here… I laughed. I had been so close so many times. But this time… Madi would not have gotten Itachi and the others in time. They would have no idea where I am. I am doomed. Not one person here will help me.

I thought back to the dance with Itachi. Yeah… that was a memory I could die thinking of. Or maybe when Itachi first told me he loved me. Or the accidental kiss in the Land of Ice. Maybe I should think about when I admitted I loved him, or the play. I smiled in thought. Maybe of my family or Drew. Maybe I should imagine Hidori dying and letting me go free. Yeah… these were on the right lines.

The door opened. I didn't open my eyes. I just smiled. I focused on my memories and waited. "Annoying." I opened my eyes in shock. Sharingan eyes so much colder than Itachi's met mine. He didn't use them on me but instead looked me over. He leaned on my table. "You will die." I was too shocked to reply.

Sasuke glanced to me and repeated himself. "You will die." I looked up at him unblinkingly. "Not if you let me go." "Never. You are too precious a hostage." I glared now. He didn't seem affected. "You are not going to die here." I raised an eyebrow. He just said I was going to die… I was confused.

I heard the screech of chidori as my chains broke. I sat up without any help and crossed my arms. "Get this collar off of me." He looked at me blankly. "Why? You aren't leaving." I let my head fall in irritation. What was his plan, then? I was about to ask before the door opened. Kabuto and Orochimaru saw me released.

Orochimaru looked to Sasuke. "So you heard the rumor, then." Sasuke nodded. "So it is true?" Kabuto smirked. "It is. This is none other than Morgan Stream… Itachi Uchiha's lover." I blinked. That was a NEW one. I flushed red. Sasuke saw and smirked. "She will come with me." The two Sound-nin smirked as they thought about Itachi's relationship with Sasuke. Kabuto nudged his glasses higher on his nose. "She's yours. Don't kill her painlessly." Sasuke didn't say or do anything… After a moment he began to walk past them.

Kabuto shoved me after him and I walked down the hallways behind him. He never looked at me. I didn't dare stop walking. He came to a door and opened it. "This is where you stay." I walked inside and he followed me before shutting and locking the door.

I examined the room. The walls had to be twenty feet thick, not counting the hallway wall. My guess was that we were underground somewhere. A bed sat in the right upper corner from the door. A table was on the left corner. A broom was leaning on another wall, and between the bed and table was a door. I guessed it was a bathroom. This was proved correct as Sasuke walked in and out as he got a bottle of liquid stuff.

He motioned for me to go sit on the table and I obeyed. He stood in front of me and examined every feature with his Sharingan. He opened his mouth, his face seemingly emotionless, but I could feel the anger behind it. He looked away after a moment of apparent thought. "I see nothing special." I felt annoyance wash over my face, but he ignored it.

He looked into my blue eyes with his red ones. "He's using you." I gaped. "Itachi is using you. He cannot love. He is a monster." I returned with a shout, "He is not!" Sasuke moved forward and grabbed the upper part of my neck that was free of the collar and pinned me to the wall.

"Do you want to see for yourself? Do you want to see what he did? Do you want to watch? I can let you see." His anger was so easy to see on his face. I could tell it was the real Sasuke. I felt his Sharingan blaze into mine. It was genjutsu. He was showing me what he saw. He gave me his emotions. He gave me his pain and fear. I watched his people fall. I saw the blood on the walls. I saw his mother and father lying dead on the ground… and then I saw Itachi standing above me. It was a horror movie.

Sasuke pulled back from my mind and watched my expression. I pushed his memories away, glaring at him. "You don't know anything…" He glared and choked me hard. I gasped for a breath. He strangled me until I couldn't breathe. I grabbed his hands but he wouldn't let go. "You don't know what he can do." He set me down and moved away. "I will MAKE you believe me. And then when you understand what he is, then I will kill you. When you know my pain I will end it. How long can this 'love' last?"

He moved to the doorway door and stated, "You can use the shower." I watched as he left before walking into my new 'apartment's' bathroom. I saw several cameras. I could still kind of sense things, fortunately. I covered them with towels before undressing. Unfortunately all my hopes were washed away, quite literally, as the collar was waterproof. I groaned and finished washing before dressing in my old clothes.

I walked out as soon as I uncovered the cameras, sitting on the table. The door was Morgan-proof. I could not get out. No one would save me. No one knew where I was. Sasuke was not going to listen to me. I was hopeless. I smiled anyway. Just stay positive. I'm not dead yet. If I can stay alive a few months, then I might find a chance to get out! I grinned and nodded to myself. I was not going to give up.

Hopes high and grins wide, I heard a sharp clacking sound as Sasuke suddenly entered the room behind me. I remembered the bottle of liquid he had taken out. He plugged it into the collar and I felt the stuff drain into my system. I tried to keep smiling, but he looked at me blankly. "I don't see anything to look forward to. You lose." I smiled anyway… it was just to annoy the Uchiha. I knew grinning in spite of everything would aggravate him. I giggled before I passed out. "Did you ever hear I was insane?" As I sank into unconsciousness, I thought about him. His eyes told a tale of their own. He wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as others had thought. He had a soft spot… Itachi Uchiha… sensitive subject. I smirked as the black claimed me.

-!-

They stopped where the battle had taken place. A huge crater was left with Morgan's residual chakra all over the place. Itachi looked forlorn as he looked at it all. His old partner's chakra was as evident as day, too. He left it as a gift just for him. Itachi knew it.

Kisame looked around. "The chakra never leaves this area." Itachi cursed. "Why did I let her go with Madi? I knew I should have gone with her…" Madi looked broken. "This is my entire fault." Itachi smiles painfully, "I can at least tell she never died here. She's alive somewhere." Madi rubbed her eyes. "How are we going to find her?" Itachi's eyes hardened with determination. "We track Orochimaru down through all of his bases." Kisame sighed. "This is not going to be easy." Itachi turned to him. "Message Leader. We are going to need back-up." Kisame nodded. Madi and Itachi surveyed the scene. Itachi glared and clenched his teeth. "I should have killed that snake."


	93. Chapter 93

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 93**

Inside the base, it was dark. Inside the base, I never knew what time it was. I hated the base. More than that, I hated my roommate. Sasuke Uchiha had to be the worst roommate ever. All I got were glares. All he said were threats. So all I gave back were smirks and grins. It annoyed him and, shockingly, he didn't take it well.

I smirked at Sasuke as he moved to lay on the bed. "Goodnight, Sasuke-chan~!" In the blink of an eye, he had me, yet again, pinned to the wall by my neck. "That's it. Come on." I followed him as he opened the door. We walked down the hall in silence.

I felt uncertain as he stopped at another door. He opened it and we walked inside. He locked the door and leveled a glare at me. "Get ready." I scoped the room quickly. We were in a room with a TON of windows. They were all at least 200 feet in the air, but they were WINDOWS. I stared at them. It was noon now. So Sasuke was nocturnal.

Sasuke walked to the center of the room. "Get. Ready." I turned to him and he lifted his katana in my direction. I flinched. "You're going to fight me?" He glared his Sharingan at me. "To teach you where you stand." I gulped and took a longing glance at the window. It was too far away for me to reach.

I closed my eyes and readied myself to dodge. Sasuke moved, quicker than lightning. I read the move and ducked under the blade. He moved the blade back towards me, but I jumped over it. My taijutsu skills were seemingly fine. I couldn't use chakra, which made it hard, but I could handle it.

Sasuke whirled around and I jumped back as best I could. My eyes widened at his speed. He was already behind me. I gasped and his foot nailed in my side, sending me sliding across the floor and into a wall. I coughed at the impact but managed to stay standing. He raised an eyebrow, Sharingan meeting my eyes. "Let's see how you like this."

I felt the genjutsu take hold. I watched in shock as the Sasuke in front of me turned into Itachi. I took a step back as he looked at me with dead black eyes. "I will kill you." I grinned. "Then bring it, sensei." 'Itachi' looked confused. I smirked. "I've just proved you are Sasuke. You don't know how Itachi acts or fights, like I do."

He lunged, his katana arcing from his side. Even though his appearance was Itachi, his movements and mind were Sasuke. I closed my eyes in preparation, grinning before snapping them back open. I jumped over Sasuke and spun around to attack him. He flipped away as I turned to follow him, reaching for my missing kunai pouch. Without stopping, I tried to recover from my screw-up, suddenly headed straight for Sasuke's sword.

I slipped under it and shot forward at Sasuke. He stepped back and I stepped forward. His sword came back at me towards my back. I grinned at him and flipped behind him. He moved the blade so as not to pierce himself. As I whirled around to meet his next attack, I saw Sasuke had ended the jutsu on his appearance.

Though he tried to appear emotionless, I could see a hint of surprise in his eyes. "You are good for not having any chakra." I smiled at him and replied, "You wanted to fight. I will fight." He sighed. "I'm not even trying." "Maybe you should." He growled at me and in a flash of mental I felt the blade enter my right arm. I smiled, not letting myself flinch. "That all you have?" His Sharingan faded to black. He was irritated to the point that he would try to beat me without them. Perfect.

I grabbed the blade that was still in my arm. "You lose your toy, Sasuke." He smirked and I heard him send electricity into it. I failed to hide my smile. I sucked in the electricity, redirecting it to the collar. It shorted out, but I know better than to show it. Sasuke's eyes widened. "You use electricity." I gleamed. "Of course."

Sasuke released the katana and I pulled it out. My chakra was already refilling. I wasn't going to give it away just yet. I had to store just enough to make it to the windows.

I kept twisting away from his attacks. Let's make him use up all of his chakra. Sasuke moved his hands in three hand signs and fireballs flew from his mouth. I slipped under it and to the right of the next one. Fire grazed my left hand as I almost dodged the third one. I didn't let it faze me. I moved at Sasuke with his katana in my right hand.

He pulled a kunai out of his pocket and deflected my new sword. He took a step forward and I felt my muscles strain as I was forced back and to the ground. He smirked. "I win." I narrowed my eyes as I gave him a sly smile. "You sure~?" He glared and I could tell he was about to use his Sharingan. As soon as he did, he would know I'd roasted my collar and that I could use chakra.

I growled and kicked him in the bad place before sprinting for the wall. He looked after me in anger, struggling back to his feet. I jumped at the wall and stuck my chakra to it. I darted up the wall and towards the windows. Sasuke seemed to have recovered as he chased me up the wall. If I could only get out of that window. I could get somewhere where the others could help me.

I aimed for the nearest window and leaped, preparing for impart. The very instant before I hit it, a snake flew from the shadows and latched its fangs into my side. I screamed in agony and fell through the air. I hit Sasuke and landed on top of him on the ground. He glared at me, but I was too busy holding my bleeding side.

A figure appeared above us. I gulped. Orochimaru. Of course. And he looked almost gleeful. "Good job, Morgan! You are much better than I expected!" I glared at him and moved to attack him. Snakes wrapped themselves around me. The things were as thick as people were wide, and as they constricted me I fell to the ground.

Sasuke stood and watched. I screamed in agony as my bones felt as if they were being crushed. I glared at both my captors. "I WILL get out." Orochimaru's smile grew. "How?" "Someone will come for me. I know it."

Orochimaru looked disappointed. "Hm… Well, I leave you to Sasuke. You seem to be good training." He looked to Sasuke. "I wouldn't let a woman beat you again. It's bad for your image." Sasuke glared at him and then to me. I felt pain all over my body as the snakes choked me, and I passed out.

 **~Akatsuki Meeting~**

Kisame: … And that's the situation.

Pein: …

Deidara: Why weren't one of you with her?!

Tobi: Poor Morgan-chan…

Kisame: … Leader?

Pein: I agree with them, Kisame. Your judgment was wrong.

Kisame: *looks down* I know.

Hidan: Well go and *beep*-ing get her!

Kisame: We need your help for that!

Pein: I will send you a list of known bases.

Deidara: I want to go!

Zetsu: I will check as many as I can and report back by tomorrow.

Pein: Mark the bases you've been to.

Zetsu: Understood.

Konan: …

Kakuzu: Hidan and I are near one of the bases now. We will head there.

Pein: Wait. I want something understood.

Everyone: …?

Pein: We will look for three days. After that we will revert back to our normal schedules.

Hidan: …

Kakuzu: …

Both: We're out. *leave*

Deidara: Understood… even if I don't like it.

Tobi: TOBI OUT!

Both: *leave*

Zetsu: Yes… *leaves*

Pein and Konan: Good luck. *leave*

Kisame: *leaves*

Zetsu stepped from the tree and looked around. No one was in sight. He glanced over the base, feeling no heat signatures. With a sigh he stepped through the wall and into the base. No one. He checked every room. "This base is empty." His darker side agreed. "Destroy it." He nodded and left the room. As he stepped into the tree to move to the next base the building caves in behind him, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble.

I woke up back in our room. I hate this room. Sasuke's room was more like prison than anything else. I was lying on the table, looking up at the grey ceiling. A lamp was lit above my head. Too bright. I sat up and groaned at the pain in my body. Well THAT didn't go well. Looks like I wasn't going to get out without help.

Sasuke was leaning on the wall. "You did well. I can see how you managed to get into the Akatsuki." I rubbed my neck and shrugged. "Eh… not quite." He gave me a funny look. "I'm not a member yet. I thought you would know that." He stared, trying to see if I was lying. He looked away, apparently satisfied with what he concluded. I lifted my legs onto the table to sit criss-cross. "You bored enough to listen to me, Sauce Gay?" He didn't seem to get the joke and nodded, watching me from across the room. I smiled. How long was it since I had to tell my story? "I lived in Konoha." His eyes widened. I sighed, a sad smile breaking through my happy mask. "I lived there for total of around two weeks, probably less. It wasn't long. Do you want to know why?" I could see he was interested, so I continued. "They mistook me for a criminal and attacked me without warning. On accident, I released powers that I didn't know how to control. I killed a lot of innocent people. And I ran away from the accusation. I ran and ended up collapsing and being found by your brother."

Sasuke was silent. I smirked, continuing. "So of _course_ , I was kidnapped without even being conscious and woke up inside a base of theirs. I was scared to death." Sasuke looked curious and I watched as he moved a little closer. I sighed. "It was strange. I got to know them just a little before we began to train together. After one of our group sessions, Itachi won. As winner he got to "wish" for anything and the Akatsuki were supposed to agree. So he decided to train me. He became my sensei. He trained me in the basics. It took forever to even begin to know how to CONTROL my chakra."

He leaned on the table beside me. I continued the story as he watched me. I watched as his eyes seemed to linger on the floor in thought. I talked all night about things I'd done and what my friends were like. He seemed to register everything. "The way they tricked you… they seem almost human." I laughed. "If you cut them, they bleed." He glared at me, looking at the cuts all over my body. I laughed. "Then again… I've had worse than this!" He frowned and something in his eyes seemed to harden. "I will make you change your mind." "Not when you need Orochimaru to keep me here," I replied. We exchanged glares and I let him inject the sleep serum into my new collar.


	94. Chapter 94

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 94**

Every time I wake up, I find myself in some strange situation. This time I was chained to a wall. Both my wrists were trapped at my sides and my ankles, knees, and thighs were chained back where I could not move them. My elbows and shoulders were strapped down. My waist and stomach had chains draped all over them. Only my head was free to move.

I groaned and blinked to wake up easier. Sasuke walked in the room and I sighed. The room had no windows and a triple pad locked door. Walls were thirty feet thick and sky had to be a hundred feet above this tiny room. Nothing was in the room except me and Sasuke.

"You're awake now." I rolled my eyes. Think happy thoughts, Morgan! So I did… I thought of Sasuke cosplaying as Naruto and hitting on Sakura and her "hitting" on him back. Heheheheheh. My life was so full of jokes.

Sasuke glared as a giggle escaped me. "I want to make you feel all of the pain that I did." At that moment Orochimaru walked inside the room. Panic gripped my throat. He smirked at me. "Sasuke is taking this very seriously… Hmm. How to do this…" I screamed.

-!-

Itachi and Madi had been running all night and all day at a dead sprint. There was no sign of Morgan's chakra or even Orochimaru's for that matter. Itachi's eyes dropped as he saw the destroyed base. Zetsu had been here already. He turned to Madi, suppressing an anxious sigh. "The next base is another's days run from here." She nodded and stretched an aching muscle. "Times almost up, Itachi…" Itachi's eyes fell. "I don't care. I am not giving up." Madi nodded hesitantly. "Two days left…" Itachi nodded, and they took off in a new direction.

-!-

There were exactly thirty two people in this base. They were preparing for Orochimaru to come. This was going to be a plus. Zetsu crept in and killed them all without a sound. Not even a disturbance to the cameras. He reported in his coordinates and the fact that they were supposed to come here next.

On Pein's orders, Zetsu was to stay there. He nodded and replied, "Calculate the coordinates and timing of the procedures here as well as base pattern and you can find his base now." Pein agreed and left it to Kakuzu. They were a tiny step closer. Two days to go.

-!-

There was a prison center here. Kisame searched every cell but never saw Morgan. He released the others out of annoyance at the voices calling to him. He killed all of the guards and left. She was not here.

-!-

Pain engulfed my body. I screamed and writhed but couldn't collapse due to the fact I was strapped to the wall. Sasuke walked up to me and unlocked the straps and chains. I fell to the floor and curled into myself. I screamed and screamed until I couldn't feel myself anymore. Sasuke stood above me and watched. I could only look up at him in pain and scream. He showed no compassion. His pain was horrible. My pain was terrible. This pain we shared now… it was monstrous.

Where was the light to this pain? Nowhere, that's where. No one was here for me. No one knew I hurt but the ones who inflicted this on me. I grabbed onto my left arm, just off of the shoulder. It burned. I screamed in agony and tried to curl tighter.

Sasuke knelt beside me and moved my fingers away from the spot. I grabbed onto something in a desperate plea for help. I screamed as I pulled on Sasuke's hand. He watched my face distort. I couldn't think anymore. All I knew was pain. I felt my body burning up. This pain was consuming me whole. I was too in pain to die. I was too far in to escape. I was only pain. Pain was all I knew.

…

The curse mark was sinking in. Morgan was shaking at my feet and screaming. I knelt beside her and peeled her fingers away from where the mark was forming. I looked at it and watched as it took form. Her hands gripped around my free one and held on. I glanced to her and saw her face change with the pain.

My eyes moved back to her mark. No, it did not resemble mine. It, instead, resembled blood splatter. I looked at it and frowned. She began to change as the mark took over. She seemed to grow more and more covered in blood splatters. I pressed my fingers to it and did the anti curse. The mark stayed, but the effects like mine were gone. She would not become a third level and change. She would merely have the mark on her arm and the pain in her memory. Now she knew one of the pains I had gotten because of Itachi.

She has passed out now and I moved to pick her up to take her back. I noticed her hands still gripping mine, her nails biting into the flesh. I watched my blood trickle down my hand. " _If you cut them… they bleed."_ I glared at the blood and picked her up. She released my hand and groaned at the movement. She buried her head into me and I smirked. _So, she was already so desperate for help. Ha._ I carried her back to my room and laid her on the table. My job was only going to get easier.

-!-

Dreams were never as bad as reality. They were always easy to me. And even the scary ones were less credible that life. I knew dreams. Dreams were what grounded my life. Now, I was hoping this was one of those bad dreams. I wanted that pain to be a dream. I wanted it to be a dream but I knew it was not. This, what I was experiencing now, was the dream.

Itachi stood in front of me holding out a hand to me. I reached for it anyway. He took my hand and I heard him say "I love you." I lunged to grab hold of him. "Save me, Itachi! Please save me!" He shook his head. "I can't this time." I dropped to my knees and he stood above me. "You have to get yourself out." I blinked in shock. "You rely on me too much. You rely on other to do everything for you. When you do not rely on others, you choose to die rather than get out. Get out on your own."

I blinked and threw myself from the dream. Dreams were never as real as that. I wouldn't soon forget that dream.

-!-

I hated waking up and finding myself in strange positions. This time I was on that table in Sasuke's room with a bandage tied around my shoulder. I ripped the material away, remembering Orochimaru's bite. I clamped a hand over it and groaned. The bite marks remained… so where was the curse mark? I looked at my shoulder. Nothing. I looked further down my arm and saw it.

I closed my eyes and pressed a hand to it. It hurt so badly. I stood and walked towards the bathroom about the time Sasuke walked out. He saw me holding my shoulder and his eyebrow twitched up slightly. "You woke faster than I expected." I felt my vision fuzz up. I swayed on my feet. He sighed and ditched me before walking out of the door. I stumbled into the bathroom and turned the shower water on. I stepped behind the curtain, clothes and all.

I noticed the cameras were already undone. Sasuke… I then lost the last of my strength and let myself lie on the floor of the shower. I was too tired to care. I was too tired to even move. My body rejected the thought of moving.

I lay there and I thought. That dream seemed so real. His words were all I could think about. "Get out on your own…" I laughed. Maybe he was right. Maybe I relied on others too much to save me. Itachi saved me from Konoha. Itachi saved me in the Akatsuki fight. Sasori and Deidara saved me from the rock fall. My friends have saved me from drowning. Itachi saved me from Daichi and Hidori. I was always being saved.

I frowned and let the water take away all feeling. Someone walked in and Sasuke cleared his throat. I didn't respond. He sighed and opened the curtain, pulled me from the water, and carried me into his room. I was laid on the table and sat upright. A towel was draped around me.

Sasuke spoke in a quiet voice. "You now understand my pain." I nodded, remaining silent. "No one saved you." I replied without much volume to my voice, "No ones needs to." He looked at me inquiringly. "I can save myself." Sasuke smirked and moved closer to me. His lips barely brushed my ear as he whispered, "Itachi will not come. You will not get away. I will kill you."

I stared blankly at the wall in front of me. "Itachi is looking for me." Sasuke moved and looked into my dead eyes. "Itachi never loved you." "I love him." "He's lying to you." "I don't believe you… not that it matters. You don't see what I've seen." Sasuke glared at me and I laughed painfully, finally looking him in the eye. "You don't know what I know. You don't know who Itachi is. You don't know the truth."

Sasuke watched my expression, looking at me with fury and a dash of pity. "I know more than you do." I grabbed the back of his head and moved it down so our foreheads were touching. I let his Sharingan eyes bore into me. "You don't know why Itachi really killed your family. You don't even take a chance to understand."

Sasuke looked at me and I continued. "He killed them to prevent another war and another blood bath even bigger than the Uchiha Massacre." I smiled slightly at his expression and released his head. I leaned down and lay on the table. I let my eyes close. I was not asleep. I just needed to think. I let tears fall over my cheeks. I sobbed every now and then.

I decided Itachi was right. It was up to me. I had to get myself out. No one would save me. I was getting out on my own. This I promised myself.

-!-

I watched her fall onto her side. I watched her face as tears fell. What she said didn't make any sense. I sighed and walked around my room. I glanced at my things in their hidden space. I ran through them and pulled out some clothes that would fit her. I placed them and the food I originally left to get her beside the clothes. I turned and walked out for training.

I walked slowly, thinking of all the things she'd told me. She was chased out from her home, kidnapped, nearly killed, scared, and hurt all before she really knew anyone. And the first person to console her ended up being a cold blooded monster. What else could she think of him?

I pushed the thought away and entered into the training room. Here Morgan had used my attacks to break her collar and nearly escape. She was quite remarkable for a girl. Scratch that. She was remarkable in any aspect. I'd never seen anyone like that. No, scratch that as well. I'd met two… Naruto and Morgan. Never giving up… never falling without a fight… Never losing faith.


	95. Chapter 95

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 95**

This time when I woke up, I was cold, soaking wet, and alone. I looked around and saw clothes and food. I shoved the food into my mouth and carried the dry clothes into the bathroom. I walked into the shower and let the warm water run over my chilled skin. I let the warmth sink in.

As the water clicked off, I slipped into the clean and dry clothes. I felt a frown play on my lips as I realized what I was wearing. My mind flashed back to the first few seasons of Naruto. It was the same outfit Sasuke had worn. It was the outfit he wore when he came to Orochimaru. And due to the growth between a thirteen year old boy and an eighteen year old girl, it was more of a belly button shirt. The pants were just at my knees. At least those fit right.

I walked barefoot back into the main room. Sasuke wasn't here. I walked to the door, and to my surprise it was unlocked. I grinned, stepping into the hallway and shutting the door quietly behind me. I walked down the hallway normally. It was better than sneaking. I was bound to get caught that way.

Someone approached me and I straightened my back. "You are a notified prisoner. Why are you wandering the halls?" I kept a carefully blank face as I replied, "Orochimaru-sama gave me permission so I can exercise and keep in shape for his experiments!" The man looked uncertain and I pulled up my sleeve so he could see the curse mark. "This is your proof!" He nodded and backed away. I moved to keep walking , but paused to turn back to him. "It would bug Orochimaru-sama so much if you bothered him now, so… " The man only nodded.

I walked on, coming to a fork. A woman I passed bowed. I smiled sweetly at her. "Where is the exit to the outside?" She pointed to the right and I followed it. These people are morons.

I started up some stairs about the time I heard voices below. " _Did you hear about Orochimaru-sama letting a prisoner exercise in the halls?"_ I I froze. The woman's voice replied, " _She just went up this staircase, Sasuke-sama."_ I gulped and sprinted up the stairs and down the hallway. I passed by some people and waved. They waved back blankly.

Sasuke grabbed my shoulder and I turned. Without much effort at all he caught my fist in his hand and sighed. "You didn't get very far with that act, now did you?" I only shrugged. He looked like he wanted to snap, but kept himself calm. "Time for your punishment." I was dragged down the hall, kicking and screaming. He threw me over his shoulder and I bit him as hard as I could on the only showing piece of flesh I could get to, his right elbow.

He dropped me on the ground and dragged me by my feet. I kicked as hard as I could, and before long he was dragging me by my hair. I screamed at him and lurched away. People in the hallways stared. I reached towards one of them and grabbed a katana. Sasuke released me to avoid being cut. He grabbed me around the waist and glared. "Go to sleep till we get there!" I glared at him and tried to move, but he knocked me out anyway.

-!-

I stood in the doorway to Orochimaru's room. He glanced at me from his bed. I raised an eyebrow and commented on his health. He replied with a glare and a hiss. I backed off and walked inside. "Have they taken the bait?" he asked. I grinned. "Of course." Orochimaru chuckled. "The Akatsuki will be chasing dead leads forever."

I handed him his medicines. "Stick a few men in the base and make it appear that they are getting ready for us, Kabuto… the Akatsuki won't move until they are sure we are coming." I nodded my head and left the room.

-!-

Pein: There is only one day remaining, Itachi.

Itachi: …

Kisame: Can't you give us a little more time?!

Pein: I cannot allow it. It will waste time and effort. If she is not dead by now, then I estimate tomorrow will be her last chance.

Itachi: …

Kakuzu: Leader, I have calculated the odds and… there is no place that matches up with Orochimaru's coordinates. I have taken into effect all of the data Zetsu acquired, but nothing meets the requirements.

Pein: Your conclusion?

Kakuzu: A diversion. He knew where we would look.

Itachi: …?

Konan: Itachi?

Itachi: It doesn't make sense…

Hidan: What the heck are you talking about?

Itachi: I traveled with Orochimaru for a long enough period to know him well enough…

Others: …?

Itachi: His style is to trick you. He loves to mess with minds.

Tobi: Just like you, Itachi-san!

Itachi: … I suppose so.

Konan: And you're telling us this because…?

Itachi: Why would he leave a base like that in the middle of nowhere if he was not coming for it? I understand it was to trick us, but why THERE?

Everyone: …!

Itachi: Exactly. He's trying to keep us away as long as he can. Most likely until one of two things… maybe both.

Deidara: What TWO things?

Itachi: The first reasoning being my brother.

Everyone: *waits*

Itachi: The second being until whatever his plan is for Morgan is achieved.

Pein: Your suggestion then, Itachi?

Itachi: I suggest we calculate a point at which he could use to hide easily, but have the least amount of time having to move.

Kakuzu: You believe he has moved to a base we cannot have heard of before?

Itachi: I will send you our coordinates at the time she was attacked, how we traveled, and as much additional information as you think you will need.

Kakuzu: Yes. I will see what I can find.

Itachi: … *leaves meeting*

Tobi: Hm…

-!-

I didn't even open my eyes this time. I asked out loud, "Am I chained to a table?" "No." "A wall?" "Not quite. Open your eyes." I sighed and opened them. I was tied to a pole. Close enough… I sighed. "Very original, Sasuke… are you going to hang me from a rope over a shark tank too?" He glared and lifted a kunai. "You should know better than to try to escape." I glared at him. He took the kunai and dragged it over my skin. I winced. He smirked and said for the millionth time, "Itachi never cared for you. He isn't coming." I met his eyes determinedly. "Prove it." He gave me a disappointed look. "He's not here, is he? Don't we both know what kind of power he has? He COULD be here by now. But he isn't." I glared at him. He smirked.

"He used you. He wanted you to think he loved you, but he never truly cared. I bet you he's already found someone else." I hissed at Sasuke and he dragged the metal over my skin to leave three new gashes. "Itachi is a beast. He has no feelings. He has no emotions. He never did and he never will."

"HE DID SO MUCH FOR YOU! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" I screamed. Sasuke hesitated before slashing me again and again. After a while, he knelt in front of me. "Enlighten me." I breathed in a sob, trying to ignore the pain. I looked up and into his eyes. "Your clan was going to rise against the Hokage and Konoha. It was going to start a war. The Hokage and his advisors could not find any better solution than the one they did. They used Itachi! They gave him a mission to kill your clan in order to stop another ninja war!"

Sasuke pressed the kunai to my throat. "You are lying." I grinned and pressed forward, letting it cut shallowly into my neck. "Why would I lie? What good would that do me?" He glared at his hand, which had started to tremble. "Only he couldn't kill his beloved little brother… " I whispered.

I felt the kunai jab deep into my shoulder. "SHUT UP!" I didn't scream. I didn't even flinch. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking. My eyes were locked onto his. "And so, without the world even knowing what he'd done was saving them, he became the worst enemy of the village he loved. And to keep you safe, he made sure you would always hate him."

Sasuke glowered at me and pulled his kunai out of my shoulder. "You are lying to me!" He spat. I looked at him, this time giving him a small, sympathetic smile. "Why would I be lying? Telling you this is giving me pain. I am telling the truth." His eyes looked over me as he tried to find a reason for me to lie. I smiled bitterly before looking to the ground. "The sad thing is… he wants you to kill him."

Sasuke didn't hesitate in punching me as hard as he could in the jaw. I felt it snap. I closed my eyes and went limp.

-!-

Sasuke glared at her motionless form on the infirmary cot. The nurse looked fearfully at Sasuke before asking, "What happened?" Sasuke's voice was devoid of anything except distaste, "I hit her." She blinked and he added, "Fix her. I don't want even a trace of my attack left on her." The nurse nodded and Sasuke left the room.

The nurse looked to the girl and sighed. "He's a scary one, isn't he? Hm…" She ran a finger over the girl's broken jaw before beginning her task. She didn't want to be the next patient with a broken jaw. She removed the chakra collar in order to have more room to work. Her hands glowed blue and pressed to Morgan's face. The room was still and quiet as she started to work.

Within three seconds the nurse was thrown back, killed, and forgotten. Morgan stood and smirked, lifting a hand to her neck where the collar had been. She then placed a hand on the dead nurse's neck, sucking in as much chakra as she could before the corpse turned cold.

She stood and pulls Sasuke's clothes from her body, clothing herself in the nurse's outfit. Without moving, Morgan lifted the earth, sucking the nurse and all evidence into the ground and covering it back up perfectly.

Not looking back, she stepped into the hall and walked easily for the exit. No one was going to stop her this time. This time, she had chakra. As she walked, her jaw healed with the chakra in her system. That kind of pain was nothing to her now. Now, she was free.


	96. Chapter 96

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 96**

Itachi and the others split up, running in different directions. Kakuzu had narrowed it down to ten of the most likely places for Orochimaru's base to be. Itachi and Madi rushed for the one closest to them.

Today was the last day.

Time was running out.

They had to hurry.

-!-

I stepped through the halls, disguised in the uniform. No one challenged me. Not a soul even looked at me, really. I was just a nurse. I smirked at the simple deception. I was as good as free. I took another step and began to sprint. I could feel the freedom as I reached the door.

I stepped into the light. I was free.

… … …

People say that when one door closes, another door opens. I often pondered the truthfulness of that statement.

For example, take my situation. I could be figurative or literal. In a figurative sense, my door to Itachi closed and the door to helping Sasuke opened. Later, in reality, the door to the nurse's station closed and the exit opened.

But every action has an equal and opposite reaction, As my door to freedom opened, another door I'd forgotten about closed. Hence another possibility formed: as I ran to the door of the exit, a door closed ON me.

Now here is another thing to ponder on. When a door closes, it closes on things right? Well if you get closed on, it usually hurts.

It causes pain.

But what had I forgotten that closed the door on me?

Let's think back. Being part of the Akatsuki has its up and downs. The typical member has his/her uniform. Said uniform consists of a cloak, a hat, pants, socks, shoes, and a ring for inner circle members. Now we all know how important those rings are. They let members communicate and call in for meetings. But there are a few things not many people know about the Akatsuki rings.

They are attached to people directly. They cannot have different owners. This helps keep people from spying with them or selling them away. And with every gift there is a punishment. The punishment for abandoning your Akatsuki ring is pain.

Do you understand now? Now let's go back to the present, where the door is shutting…

… … …

I took a single step through the door before a searing pain ripped apart in my chest. I whirled around to face whoever was there. Nothing. There was no one there. I gripped an arm to my chest as I felt the pain. It was as if it were shredding my body to pieces. I groaned and collapsed to the ground as I convulsed. The pain was almost as bad as the curse mark. It laced itself from around my fingers, up my arm, over my chest, through my head, down my stomach, into my legs, and around my feet.

I screamed and clutched my hand. The pain was worse there. I saw it, etched on the skin in a deep red, much like a burn. It was the symbol of my ring. I gaped at it and realized for the first time since I got here that my ring was gone.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to find me in that state of pain and shock. His Sharingan eyes glanced over me to see what was happening. Upon seeing my hand, something seemed to register in his eyes. He grabbed me in his arms and darted down the stairs with me. I was thrown onto the bed in his room and he left the room quickly. I struggled to ignore the strangling pain. It wasn't working.

Sasuke entered the room again and shoved something in my hand. Immediately the burning stopped. I watched in shock as the mark on my hand faded. Sasuke took back whatever he had put in my hand and watched me with black eyes. I was still in shock from the sudden absence of the pain.

I looked to Sasuke, who stated, "You didn't lie about almost being a member of the Akatsuki." I looked at him and managed to sit up. I realized, for the first time, that I was on the bed and not the table. I stood, shakily, and eyed him curiously. "So you're not going to hit me again?" "You turned that against me, wasted a nurse, and nearly killed yourself before I finished my promise."

I laughed at him and straightened. "What did you do?" He lifted a ring and I recognized it as my own. My eyes flashed. "Give it here." He tucked it into his pocket. "It is no longer of use to you." I glared as hard as I could at him. "Without it I will die again." He smirked. "So you can use it to call your comrades? No thanks." He returned my glare. We were getting very good at the glare game.

I smirked. "Sasuke…" "Hn?" "I would like to point something out." He looked to me in skepticism. I whispered, "I have chakra." At that moment my spike shot from the ground and knocked the ring from Sasuke's grasp and into mine. His Sharingan had not been activated. He looked shocked. Of course without his Sharingan he would not have known what was going on.

I smiled and stated, "I'll make a deal with you, Sasuke." He looked interested enough. "If I can beat you in a fight, you let me go." He crossed his arms and stepped closer to me. "And if I win?" "You make the conditions on that half." He smirked and answered me at last. "Game on."

-!-

Madi looked back as Itachi stopped running. Itachi stared at his ring and his eyes widened. Madi jumped back to his side. Itachi's eyes were wide. "What's going on?" she asked hesitantly. "Morgan's ring… activated," he replied quietly. Madi looked confused. Itachi shook himself and looked at her. "She has a ring similar to ours that lets her in on meetings. It just activated and called out to us."

Itachi dropped down and onto his butt. "Keep watch. I'm going in." Madi nodded, and Itachi logged into the meeting.

Others were doing the exact same thing. Already half of them were in.

Itachi: What is going on?!

Pein: Her ring went off.

Hidan: I guessed that!

Tobi: Is Morgan-chan okay?

Deidara: This isn't good…

Kakuzu: *has just logged in* Morgan's signal just died.

Kisame: Why is her signal dead already?!

Itachi: It's a ring defense.

Deidara: When it sends the pain signal, it shuts down immediately after. It is not supposed to be back up for 24 hours.

Tobi: But Morgan-chan might be…!

Kisame: There aren't many ways to STOP a ring from sending signals… unless of course… death or retrieval of the ring.

Itachi: Can we tell anything from this?!

Pein: No. All we know is that something has happened.

Itachi: *curse*

Tobi: The search ends at midnight… my base is empty~!

Zetsu: Mine had less than thirty guards. It was nothing but a mere storehouse.

Pein: You have 6 hours. After that we discontinue this search.

Everyone else: …

-!-

I never expected my brother to turn into the kind of person he was now. I always saw him as my hero. He was the person I looked up to and wanted to be just like. He was my everything and I loved him more than anything. He was my vision of the perfect ninja and the ninja I hoped to be.

I wanted to grow and be just like him. He had no faults in my eyes. He was calm and collected even through the pains around him. Through the eyes of those near him, he was a prodigy. I agreed with that fact. He was stronger and faster and smarter than anyone else in the village.

I remember him always being too busy to train me. I remember going to his door and him sending me away. Itachi was always like that. He never seemed to be the teacher type. He was a loner, even I knew that then. He preferred to train alone.

But he had always found some time to be with me. I remember sneaking in and watching him train. He asked me if he scared me. I could only grin and ask him to play. He would always smile that once in a blue moon smile of his. He would carry me through Konoha on his back. I never fazed him. I was nothing compared to him. I idolized him.

And then that day came. The day came where he killed them all. I remember being scared as I ran through the compound. I remember the bloody houses and people I once knew. I remember screaming for people. My pain was in my voice as I ran. I don't know what made me but I had to find my parents. I had to find them.

I remember seeing him above them. I remember seeing his eyes. They had never held so much ice. I don't care to repeat much else. You know the story. You know what he did. It made me rethink who he was. He was lethal. He was dangerous. He was too strong to be human. He was not a hero. He was the villain. He had always been the villain.

And from these ashes of my memories now stands this girl, and I face her down to fight. I see the determined gleam in her eyes. I can feel the vibration of a fast beating heart. I see the excitement I remember having myself when getting to play. She was different from other people. She never failed in what she believed in. She was so much like me before I learned who he really was. That is why I must break her soul. It is better I do it, than he.


	97. Chapter 97

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 97**

Morgan faced Sasuke down with determination. She had to win. Her freedom depended on whether or not she could win against this Uchiha. Both waited for the other to move. Both tried to figure out the other's moves before they occurred. This fight would be brutal.

Sasuke was the first to move. His Sharingan flared to life, and within half a second, ten invisible-to-the-naked-eye spikes shot at Sasuke. This time, though, he saw them and backflipped out of the way.

He glared at Morgan and moved forward again, drawing his katana in a flash. The attacks met in one instant- Morgan's spike clashing with Sasuke's katana, and the metal spun away from him.

Muscles reacted and both kicked at each other. Right legs met and retracted, both punched at the same time and hit each other. Moves were mirrored again and again through the Sharingan. Morgan gleamed at him and moved again and again, playing.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he glared. Morgan backflipped away and landed easily a small distance away. "Try dodging all of these, Sasuke." Sasuke readied himself as hundreds of spikes shot up from the ground around Morgan. His lightning shot out as he tried to break them. The spikes sucked in the power and returned it with twice the power.

Sasuke jumped into the air to dodge the attack, landing on the wall. Morgan laughed and attacked more and more. Her tiny needles could only barely be seen through the Sharingan. It might have been impossible had it not been for the refracted colors. Sasuke's eyes were straining. He needed to act now.

Sasuke leapt from the wall, jumping off of spikes as they shot towards him. Morgan seems to get ready to guard herself, and at the very instant, "Last Defense" kicked in. Sasuke managed to push himself away from the thorns, firing back a fire attack at Morgan. The spikes form into a shield and blocked the attack. Sasuke danced back and away from the shield.

Blue eyes reflected off the crystal and glimmered at Sasuke. He glared. His hands formed hand signs in a blur as he ran back at Morgan. With a total of five side steps, he dodged the attacks and landed just behind Morgan.

He watched her shocked expression as he released a fire dragon at her from such a close range. He watched in irritation as the crystal thorn bush formed around her. The coils of thorns shot out and covered her from the attack. As the fire hit, both were destroyed.

Sasuke slid back from the attacks. His breaths were slightly heavy. Morgan seemed unaffected. He chuckled and she looked curious. Sharingan eyes whirled, and Morgan froze. Genjutsu. Genjutsu was Morgan's weakness. She was never taught how to get out.

-!-

I face a mirror. I remember this mirror. In this mirror was the face of someone I hated very much. Hidori looked at me and grinned. Her lips moved but no sound came out. She lifted a hand to her throat in shock. She seemed to have been expecting a voice. She tried again and I heard a hiss.

Hidori seemed to understand and laughed. She opened her mouth and showed me the horrific fangs hidden there. She suddenly opened her mouth, and I screamed as her jaw fell past what should have been possible. A snake poured from her throat and slid from the mirror surface, trapping me in its coils.

A voice came forth. Orochimaru hissed, "You are mine." I closed my eyes. I felt a snake tongue on my face. I opened my eyes and saw three people in front of me. Sasuke was leaning on the mirror. I wanted to scream. I knew this was a lie. Itachi was standing with Madi, holding her hand and staring at me with dead eyes. "You never should have trusted me." I screamed long and hard.

It wasn't over. I dropped to my knees and watched as Itachi transformed into a flock of crows and flew away into the sky. I watched in horror as they were all shot down by kunai. I turned to Sasuke and stood. I ran at him. I had to make him stop. I had to make this go away.

The images only got worse and worse, surrounding me as I ran. It showed Itachi killing everyone… and then kissing another girl that I didn't know. I could feel the agony in my chest.

The more I ran, the further away Sasuke was. I couldn't keep going, I was about to go insane. I screamed his name, lashing out in a roar as my chakra flared all over my body. The images faltered before suddenly strengthening. I screamed and dropped to the ground, curling into myself. Voices could be heard from all around me.

I buried my face in my knees. This was too low. He was exploiting my only weakness, my memories. I lay there and felt all hope fade and wane. I relaxed and let myself dip into nothing. I didn't feel anything. I couldn't see anything anymore. I let myself go and the genjutsu faded to nothingness.

… … …

Morgan took a step back from the genjutsu. She looked blankly at Sasuke. Her eyes seemed to fade from electric blue to dull. She seemed to stare through him and at the wall. Nothing moved. She made no sound.

Sasuke took a step forward. She didn't move. Within an instant, Sasuke was in front of her. He looked into her eyes and saw the pain. He saw the suffering, the agony there. She did not make a sound. She never said a word. She only stared.

Sasuke touched her arm and she fell to her knees in front of him. "You win," she whispered. "You win. Make it go away. Make it end. Take it away. You win." Sasuke stood above her, looking down at her. She moved her head and looked up at him. Her eyes were so blank. Her lips moved only the tiniest bit. She mouthed,"Please." Sasuke knelt in front of her.e

"This is reality. This is the truth. Itachi is like this. Itachi is this person." Morgan watched him, her eyes looking over him slowly. "Do you believe me now?" He asked. She hung her head, replying without any emotion. "… I don't want to say." Sasuke nodded and picked her up in his arms.

Her eyes stared at the ceiling. She had nothing left in her. Sasuke watched her face as he carried her down the hall and to his room. She said nothing. She did nothing. She couldn't do anything. Genjutsu had broken her.

-!-

Itachi stared at the empty base. No one was here. Orochimaru was not here. Morgan was not here. No one was here. Madi touched his arm and he sat on the ground and let his mind travel to the meeting.

Itachi: I am here.

Pein: Then everyone is accounted for. State your findings.

Kakuzu: Nothing on my part.

Hidan: Nothing.

Zetsu: Neither of my bases were occupied.

Kisame: I never saw anything.

Konan: My base was empty except for a few guards. I killed them off.

Pein: Mine was caved in.

Tobi: I never found Morgan-chan…

Deidara: She's not here…

Itachi: She's not here either.

Pein: Then that is the end. She is gone.

Everyone: …!

Itachi: … Leader-sama… I cannot… I can't just… I can't…

Pein: This is an order. Revert back to your previous missions.

Itachi: Y-… yes…

Madi watched as Itachi stood. She saw the pain in Itachi's eyes and gasped. He closed his eyes before looking at her blankly. "She was nowhere to be found…" Madi looked away and Itachi turned away. Madi whipped around, grabbing his shoulder as he started walking away. "WE CAN'T STOP LOOKING!" Itachi said nothing as he was pulled to a stop. Madi couldn't stop the few tears that escaped as she screamed. "DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON HER! I KNOW SHE'S ALIVE! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY! I WON'T STOP LOOKING!"

Itachi whirled around, clamping a hand over her mouth. "We are not stopping. We are going to follow orders for the moment. As soon as their backs are turned, we will go after her again." Madi's eyes widened before nodding her head. Itachi looked away. "…I'm beginning to be afraid of what I will find." Madi looked angry. "Don't say that!"

Itachi smiled painfully. "Sasuke will hurt her. I know that for sure." Madi glared. "We can't think that. You can't keep thinking like this! It's going to kill you!" Itachi smiled, closing his eyes. "You promise?" Madi looked shocked and he laughed bitterly. He walked past her and gently ruffled her hair. Madi had never seen him look so beaten.

-!-

Morgan woke up, keeping her eyes closed. The pain was gone. She sat up and looked around. She was in the room, as usual, but on the bed. She groaned and pressed two fingers to her head. Sasuke walked in from the bathroom, tossing her a bottle of pills.

"You said that if I won, I could set the conditions," he stated. Morgan eyed him suspiciously as she took the pain pills. "You have come up with something, then?" Sasuke measured her with his eyes. He seemed to register she was over the genjutsu, and took a deep breath. Pausing, he seemed to reconsider what he was about to say, closing his mouth before setting his jaw. "…Yes."

She leaned back and rested on the wall, letting the medicine sink into her system. "Your condition?" She asked. Sasuke moved silently, sitting on the bed and looking her in the eyes as she watched him. "Tell me everything about Itachi Uchiha."


	98. Chapter 98

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 98**

My eyes widened in shock."You… want to know?" He nodded. "You said I am ignorant. I listened to a small piece. I expect you to explain." I frowned and began to talk.

Three hours passed.

I didn't remember being knocked out. I didn't even remember finishing my story. Sasuke had listened to what I remembered telling him and then… nothing. I sat up and groaned as I press my fingers to my neck. The collar had been replaced once more.

Without really thinking, my fingers slid down to the curse mark. I closed my eyes and frowned. Sasuke… I opened my eyes and glared. I was close to death down here! I couldn't take being cooped up here! I've had enough!

I stood and walked to the door. With a wild kick to the lock, I screamed, "DAMMIT SASUKE!" I punched the door as hard as I could. He tricked me with the genjutsu in our fight. That jerk! It made me even angrier. "SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE!"

I threw my body into the door and it crashed open, causing me to land on Sasuke, who had been about to open the door. I sat on his chest and glared down. Within a moment I was lifted from the floor and pinned to the wall by my neck and glared at. I smirked and kicked my feet up, shoving him back.

He seemed to catch on and attacked me. I spun around and dodged easily. I took off and we both ran down the halls, kicking and punching at one another. I nailed him and he flew through a door and into another person's room. They gasped and I laughed. "I won't fall for your crap again, Sasuke!" He smirked. "Sure you won't."

We kept running, and people in the hallway dove for cover. Sasuke missed me and we fought our way into the big room, where he had beaten me earlier. We stared each other down. I folded my arms and glared. "You bastard." "What are you talking about?" "You erased my memory last night." Sasuke looked unconcerned. "I didn't see the point in the first place, but… it gave me the chance to beat you around again."

We glared at one another and I ran at him. "How did you sleep?" He asked. I scowled at him. "I'll sleep better after I kill you." He looked up with his Sharingan, and I immediately looked to his feet. I blinked in shock before smirking. This… I had thought I wouldn't have been able to do it!

It was just like soccer.

Sasuke moved at me and I pivoted to intercept his attack. Sharingan blazing, he moved around my block. I saw his feet move and blocked it. This was why I was so good at soccer. I grinned at him and ducked to the right, avoiding attack after attack. He was getting really frustrated. I wasn't going to get into a genjutsu if I never looked in his eyes.

He began to speed up. I smirked. If soccer was helping me here… why not try a trick or two? I ran at him, and as he lifted his leg to kick me, at the very last moment I slid on my side underneath him. I jumped up, stealing his katana.

He glared at me and I smirked. He looked at me in thought. He obviously didn't get my new strategy. I gleamed and ran at him, sword raised. I moved to stab him with the sword, but he blocked it. I moved to punch with my empty hand, forcing him to use his hands as well as his feet to brace himself. I swung my entire body from the ground, jumping above his head. The sudden movement made him move his foot to stay balanced. I pulled down on his arms and kicked him in the back.

He jerked forward and smacked into the opposite wall. I grinned. "And that was WITHOUT chakra, Sasuke. That all you have? No more genjutsu to rely on. Bring it now, Sasuke." He stood and ran at me. I watched and waited. His legs moved to brace him as he tried to pound his right fist into me. I moved left, ducking and swiftly moving my right foot in an attempt to trip him. He jumped into the air and I headbutted him in the gut. He recovered and grabbed my shoulders. He pushed himself up and onto my shoulders. I grinned and let my legs collapse, falling back towards the ground. He flipped back and I rolled up and onto my feet.

He grinned and began to move his hands together. "I listened to your story." I dodged the fire attack and waited for him to continue. "… I never wanted to believe you." I moved and we clashed legs as he read my attack.

We both spun away, stopping a good 20 feet from each other. "I heard what you had to say about what he did, and I don't really have much to add to your story. It seemed sound and you were not lying." I smirked at him as we met a punch. "And, Sasuke?"

He tackled me into the wall. His face moved close to my ear and he whispered, "My answer to whether or not I believe you… The answer is-"

A hand slammed into my side and I slid away from the wall, clutching it as it throbbed. I glanced over and saw Kabuto standing there. He smirked. "You seem to be forgetting your place to me. A prisoner cannot challenge her master any time she wishes." I tried to stand and felt the severed muscle where Kabuto had attacked rip further.

I leaned over and fell onto the ground to my side, breathing hard. Sasuke turned to Kabuto, giving him a deathly cold glare. "What do you want?" His voice was like ice. I remembered the TV show and realized this was the attitude he used around others like Kabuto… a fake.

Kabuto smiled slightly and shrugged. "She had a katana to your back." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I knew." Kabuto blinked and I smirked as best I could. Sasuke glared at Kabuto. "Get lost." Kabuto took another step back, pushed up his glasses, glared at me, and left. I tried to stand, but collapsed. Sasuke moved towards me. I growled, "Don't touch me! I can get up! I won't lose!" Sasuke knelt at my side and looked like he was about to move me when another figure loomed above us.

I blinked in shock. My fingers curled into Sasuke's shirt. Orochimaru. His eyes bored into me, and then to Sasuke. "What is this, Sasuke? Giving compassion to someone so close to your worst enemy?" Sasuke met his eyes steadily. "I can do as I please." Orochimaru chuckled. "Ah, that is right! I did give her to you, Sasuke-kun!" He seemed to measure me again. "But it seems I have a bit of business outside of the base at the moment. Kabuto and I will be leaving shortly. Please do kill her before we return. I cannot guarantee her safety after that."

I watched as Orochimaru faded into the blackness of the hallway. I turned my head and looked up at the windows. Why couldn't I be up there? Why could I never seem to reach that place? I closed my eyes and drifted off for the millionth time.

-!-

Madi and Itachi reached their old destination. Kisame had already arrived and finished the mission. His eyes scanned over Itachi as if to gauge his sanity. Itachi never raised his eyes from the ground. Kisame moved forward hesitantly, stopping when Itachi's eyes flashed up and whirled the Sharingan at him. "I am going to need a favor." Kisame looked relieved. "Go ahead. I can pretty much guess what you want." Itachi smirked.

-!-

I didn't have many good dreams anymore. This was the first good one since my arrival here. I glanced around me at the other Akatsuki as they sat around the old base's living room. I closed my eyes in happiness and walked closer to them. Deidara smiled at me and wrapped me in a hug. I returned it and coughed in embarrassment. "You seem happy to see me!" He smirked. "Am not!" I smiled at how much all of them had adapted to me. They all seemed to have two personalities. They had the "Morgan's buddy" persona and the "I will kill you" persona. Personally, you know which I prefer.

Tobi jumped in front of me, waving his arms wildly. "Tobi made cookies, Morgan-chan!" I smiled at him and he tossed an arm around my shoulders and ruffled my hair. Kisame chuckled from the couch and moved to my side. Konan waved with a kind smile. Pein nodded his head with a smirk. Zetsu just looked to me and grinned slightly. I returned it.

Kakuzu and Hidan walked in and groaned. "She's back? Well, took you long enough!" I smiled and gripped them both in a hug. They looked repulsed and I laughed. I heard a familiar laugh and turned around in shock. "Sasori?!"

Sasori took my hand and lead me through the halls and to my room. He smiled and stated, "There's something here for you." I followed him inside and he shut the door behind us.

In front of me was a picture. I remembered it being taken. The whole organization was standing with their backs to the base door making funny poses. Itachi and Kisame were back-to-back with their hands in the Charlie's Angels' guns. Deidara was sticking out a tongue and leaning on Sasori. Tobi was behind both of them throwing up two sets of bunny ears. Hidan was pulling down an eyelid and flipping off the camera. Kakuzu was counting a bit of money in his hands. Pein and Konan were watching the others and looking annoyed. Zetsu was half in a tree - half out. And then I spotted myself. I had been the one with the camera, so the best I could do was stick my head in the side, so in the top right corner was half of my face.

I could see the happiness in everyone's, and especially my, eyes. It was something I had forgotten. Sasori handed me a pencil. It was then that I noticed a blank at the bottom of the picture. I smiled and wrote there what the picture told me. " **One messed up family!** " I smiled painfully at the picture and Sasori placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him and he sighed. "Someone else wanted to say hi before you go… but it looks like time is up. So here's a bit of advice: Find Itachi." I smiled at my memory-version of Sasori, waving and letting the dream fade.

-!-

I opened my eyes and groaned. Must I repeat again that I hate waking up now? My stomach hurt like crazy. Sasuke looked to me. "You really can sleep." I gaped at him and shot up. I ignored the strain in my stomach. Sasuke looked away and stood. "I am going for solo training." I blinked in confusion before the memory of our fight hit me. "Wait! What was your answer?!" He turned to me as he exited the room and smirked. I glared at him. Sometimes I really hated that Uchiha. Alright, so I hated him all of the time. Look what he did to me- break my bones, give me bruises, shove depressing images in my head… He was a difficult one, that Uchiha…


	99. Chapter 99

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 99**

After a while, I stopped steaming over Sasuke and started thinking about the timeline. If I was right, then Sai was not very far away. I sighed and slumped against the wall. Naruto and the others would rescue Sai and then come for Sasuke. The thing was… this wasn't the room from the manga. This room was different. So I waited for Sasuke to come in. He entered three minutes later.

I stood quickly, crossing my arms and glaring at him. "You have to leave this room and go next door." He raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?" I pretended to sulk and sat down heavily on the floor. "I need some time to sleep and your eyes bug me!" He smirked. "Well then, I guess I'll just follow the orders of my prisoner." Hmm. New tactic needed. I softened my glare and looked at him with a grimace. "…Please?"

He sighed before glaring at me. "I will go next door. One peep from you and I will be right back." I smiled slightly at his back as he left. When he shut the door, I closed my eyes and waited.

-!-

I walked next door and cursed. Morgan had been too quiet and subdued when I reentered the room. Probably planning something. She still had no idea what she was up against. I was stronger than anyone else! I closed my eyes and growled, throwing myself on the bed and onto my side. My eyes closed and I decided to sleep it off. No big deal. She wasn't going anywhere.

-!-

I was sitting on the floor, quietly listening and hoping. I prayed for this to work. I didn't have much time until Orochimaru came for me. I groaned and flopped onto my back. Things were so different from before. I remembered my dream about the picture and how carefree I was. I never knew I was going to be a prisoner with a wound to my stomach so severe it still hurt to breathe.

I pressed three fingers to the wound and closed my eyes, whispering, "I won't give up. I won't just die." I smirked and sat up, stretching slightly and cringing when I felt a sharp zap of pain in my midsection. It was kind of like an electric fence, limiting my motion and punishing any efforts to go beyond it. I hated the pain. I was so sick of pain. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and stretched more. Let's do this.

My ear twitched as I registered a tiny sound outside. The ALMOST silent footsteps of Sai could be heard in the hallway. I heard him open Sasuke's door. I waited in silence.

I couldn't hear Sasuke speak, but I readied myself. Sasuke was going to blow.

I closed my eyes, moments stretching on far too long in the quiet. And then, all at once, the roof blew off of the base. I watched as my wall caved and cracked down the sides. I grinned and took that first step into the hallway. I groaned and pressed myself to the wall and snuck down the hall. I gritted my teeth. First, I had to find my ring. If anything, I could lock in with it and signal the others.

I hid as Yamato and the others rush by after Sai. My timing was perfect. A ripping pain in my stomach wracked through me and my knees hit the floor. I cursed at the chakra collar. I looked back and imagined Sasuke coming back. I pushed myself up and ran through the pain.

I had to focus. From my escape attempts so far, I had learned a couple things. Sasuke had gone that one time and gotten my ring from somewhere in less than five minutes. At his max speed, he could only go so far.

I furrowed my brow in concentration. In our fight, Sasuke steered me towards the training rooms… But he took a detour the long way… I ran down the hallway, through the short cut to the training room. I gripped a hand to my torn muscles and continued as fast as I could.

The first door I shoved open was empty aside from a bed. The second had a few boxes. I dumped them and noted with irritation that my ring was not among them. Without pausing, I kicked down the next door and immediately regretted it.

In this room were hundreds of locked cabinets. I rushed forward and punched one open. Files. These were all files! I darted to the next door and opened it. Inside this room were boxes and tables. I lunged forward and opened the first box. It held a load of keys. I groaned and shoved my hands through them as I searched for my ring.

Without that ring, I couldn't leave the base. If I went too far away from it, I might… My eyes widened as I realized what I had to do. I held my breath, pressed my hand to my stomach, and ran down the hallways as far as I could as fast as I could.

I closed my eyes as the pain throbbed through me. I kept my mouth closed and refrained from groaning or making any noise for that matter. The pain ripped through my body, overshadowing out the pain in my stomach as the kanji for my ring appeared on my hand.

I mentally noted my position in the base. I had to be a certain time from Sasuke's room, a certain distance from the ring for the pain to kick in, and somewhere on the short cut to the training room. I forced back the panic and finished calculating. With the hallways the way they were… There were five rooms that could fit.

My time was running out. I had to find that ring and move! I clenched a hand to my stomach and hid my burning insignia under my arm. I darted down the hall and into the first room. Here was a lab. I glanced around and saw no place for Sasuke to hide something here. Too many cameras. Knowing Sasuke, he would move it where Orochimaru wouldn't find it.

I make it to room 2 and opened the door. I saw cases and cabinets with locks. I managed to think through the pain and made it to a locker in the corner of the room. I looked at the combinations and twisted the locks until I could hear it click.

It was probably a miracle I had gotten this far, to be honest. My pain was something at the moment like you could not believe. It was like ripping a muscle playing a sport and then being hit by a truck all at the same time. You just wanted it to end.

I leaned on the locker and breathed hard as I blinked past my fuzzy vision. The door clanked open and I looked inside. My clothes… I blinked in shock. Here was my Akatsuki cloak! I gaped at them and shuffled through the things. Upon finding nothing, I moved on to the next locker.

It opened after my third try, and I dug through the objects. I guessed that this was where they stored prisoners' things. I grinned as best I could through the pain and opened the next locker. This was obviously Sasuke's. I wanted to laugh in relief as the pain immediately faded to nothing and my fingers curled around the metal of the ring.

I gripped it as tightly as I could and felt a tear run down my cheek. It was so relieving for that pain to go away at long last. I didn't pause to relax though. I was only halfway done with my escape plan.

I remembered where the exit was from before. I ran from the room and moved with all of my might for the door. I couldn't tell where Sasuke was. I didn't know if he would find me. There wasn't much hope for me even now. But this was all I had… so I had to make use of it.

For the millionth time, I was overcome with pain from moving my stomach. I begged my body to keep moving past the pain. It agreed with the adrenaline and we moved even faster. The stairs were climbed and light could be seen from the secret entrance. I moved with all that I had left and finally felt light break over my skin.

My head swiveled around and I look at the open plains. Here was part two. I clawed at my stomach and began to run. There was a distraction behind me at the base, so I wouldn't have to worry about them for a bit. Hopefully. My time was running out and I had so very far to go. Rocks stood out every now and then, and I used them to rest.

I didn't have any supplies… I didn't have anything. All the same, I was never going to stop. Not even if Sasuke landed before me and attacked. I would die trying to escape. If Orochimaru appeared to take me, I would take as much of him with me as I could.

Naruto had said something once, in the manga. "If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death. If he rips my arm off, I'll bite him to death. If he rips my head, off I'll stare him to death. If my eyes are gouged out, I will curse him to death!"

With that, I lifted myself from my last rest and tackled the miles ahead to the safety of the forest. That was my only hope at the moment. But as for right now, as for this very instant… I was free. For this short time, if any, I saw the light. For now I was not looking up at a window… I was racing through the wind and heat and pain for what I had begged for.

My stomach only ripped more. My feet only began to bleed in protest to the distance I had run. My eyes shook in their sockets from watching all around me for an attack. My legs creaked under me as I put all of my faith in them. My hands dripped red from the ring pressing into my skin. I raced for freedom. I raced for my life. I raced for them. I WOULD make it back. That was my only faith.

-!-

Trees whipped by their faces as Itachi and Madi sped through the treetops. Morgan seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. Her presence was nowhere. Her chakra seemed to never have existed. Her heartbeat was anywhere but here. Madi's breath caught in her throat and she was lost in thought and worry for a moment. Her foot snagged a limb and she tripped forward, landing badly on her leg on the floor below.

Itachi pulled back and landed beside her. She coughed and strained to lift herself back up. Itachi's eyes scanned over her and he knelt at her side. "What happened?" Madi dropped back onto her stomach, eyes closing in pain. "I can't move." Itachi pressed his fingers to her wrist and took her pulse.

He seemed to think for a moment before lifting the girl up and carrying her away to the best and closest place to where they were. This Akatsuki base had two sections. One was run down and half caved in about a mile south of here. The newer section where he took Madi was downstream from the old base.

Itachi took Madi inside and placed her on a nearby bed. The kitchen here seemed in pretty bad shape, but the sink still had warm and cold water and the oven worked well enough. Madi groaned and clutched her leg.

Itachi handed her a warm cloth. "Put this where you hurt for twenty minutes. Then put this cold one on for twenty more. Rotate and call for me when their temperatures need changing." Madi groaned. "Dammit, keep going, Itachi! I can stay here for a while. Keep looking for her!" Itachi glared. "And what if you were taken too? Then I would have to go after two people!" Madi looked away. "I'm sorry… I just couldn't take the strain anymore." Itachi nodded wearily. "I understand. We will leave as soon as you can move." She nodded slightly and Itachi moved away to find other things for their, hopefully brief, stay.

Itachi walked outside and to the closest tree. His façade faded away and he dropped to his knees. His right fist met bark and he roared in pain and frustration. "Dammit!" He hit the tree again weakly before falling on all fours and punching the ground. Slowly, he leaned back onto his feet and gripped his hand to his face. "Dammit… Dammit… Dammit…" His hand fell away and he looked up to the sky. The cheery blue sky didn't match his feelings at all.

"I'm sorry this is taking so long," he whispered. "I promise I will find you soon. I am so sorry, Morgan. Madi is hurt and can't do this much longer. She won't go back to Kisame and she has gotten weak. I don't think I will get to look for you for a while… Dammit Morgan! Please wait… Don't be hurt, please… Please be okay, Morgan… I love you. Please wait for me."

He let his eyes fall to the ground, hanging his head.

"Please…"


	100. Chapter 100 SPECIAL!

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 100 SPECIAL!**

Welcome to chapter 100 in the series Black Ice - Trapped in Naruto! The following will be included over the next two updates:

1\. Side story on Morgan's life before the story starts (Funny as crap but pointless to the story)

2\. Drew's new home

Then, for chapter 101:

3\. Regular chapter

4\. Character interview

-!-

 **Side Story - Snow day!**

My alarm clicked off and I sat up. Blue eyes flashed around the chilly room, barely warming up from the sunlight peaking over the horizon. Was I really up so early just for school? I groaned and pushed myself into a sitting position. My legs dipped from the warm sheets onto the cool floor below me. I stood and forced myself into the bathroom and under the warm water of the shower.

Dreading the cold air, I hesitated inside the bathroom as I finished, pulling the towel closer to me before taking a bold step into the hallway. My room was even colder than the hallway. I yanked on my school clothes in record time and dashed to put my things where I needed them in my HUGE-A** backpack. I walked down the hallway and ditched my stuff by the door before fixing my hair.

A knock on my door told me Drew was here. I grinned and knocked on my brother's door. "Get up! I'm going now so mom will drive you!" Andrew groaned from inside and I rolled my eyes. He was so annoying. I sighed and ran back to the door. Drew stood outside in his navy hoodie and black toboggan hat. I giggled at him, distracted by the funny way his hair was trying to escape his hat.

He sighed and walked in the door, grabbed my jacket, and tossed it to me. I slipped into my signature blue jacket and pulled the blue hat and gloves out of my pocket. Drew jerked the hat on my head and I pulled on the gloves. We threw my stuff into the back of his pickup and hopped into the warm cabin.

He blasted the radio and we sang to the song. I couldn't promise we were any good, but at least we knew the words. He arrived in the woods at our secret parking lot and parked easily. Drew grabbed both of our bags from the back and lead the way to the cafeteria. He set our things by the wall and we leaned on it, waiting for the busses to arrive.

Drew waved to his friends as his bus drove up and rushed off to meet them. I smiled as mine arrived a few minutes later. I laughed with them and the bell rang. I followed Drew to his first class and we chatted for a bit until the five minute warning bell rang, and I dashed off to my first class.

My class was based on medical knowledge. I sighed and committed my attention to the lesson. Time passed and the break bell eventually rang. I darted into the hall and walked down the hall to my second class. Drew met me there and we ditch our stuff.

We walked down the hall, joking and playing around. Others joined us and we laughed with each other. About that time, an alarm went off. We all blinked in shock. It was the storm alarm. The strange thing was, it was more of a tornado alarm. Teachers darted through the hallways, tensely guiding students towards the large hallway on the right. "Everyone, please move towards the gym!" Drew looked to me and I nodded in response, and we both went with the rest of the school body along the hallway.

We slipped away from the crowd and up the stairs to the balcony of the gym. We locked the door from the inside and moved the bar lock away. We jammed it shut and listened to the teachers just below us. They always told the REAL DEAL here.

Teacher #1: The news said this snowstorm is bigger than the one all those years ago…

#2: I heard that it will be here soon.

#1: It was so sudden… I was shocked!

#3: The students are being dismissed as soon as possible.

I grinned at Drew and he bounced lightly up and down in excitement. We snuck to a far corner where they couldn't hear us whispering.

Drew: You thinking what I'm thinking?

Me: I think so.

Both: Stay over!

Drew: *grin* Let's do it!

Me: Coach Lane still has our sleeping bags in his closet!

Drew: I'm almost glad we forgot to take them out from the play!

Me: Almost? This is great!

Drew: Can you snitch his keys?

Me: Pfft, of course. Who do you think I am? Can you get our check out information filled out?

Drew: Who do you think I am?

Both: *grin*

-!-

I slipped behind Coach Lane as we exited the assembly. He was talking to another teacher about the snow. I grinned and slid his keys from his pocket and shoved them into mine. He never suspected a thing. I walked calmly away and met Drew in room 324, otherwise known as **The Janitor Closet**. He opened his phone, the light shining brightly in the darkened room.

He nodded, hitting a button before handing it to me. "Now send the info to your mom." I nodded and texted her.

 _Mom-_

 _Drew and I are going to Natalie's house to stay over. The storm won't hit us there. See you in the morning._

 _-Morgan_

I grinned to Drew and he texted Natalie.

 _Natalie-_

 _We're gonna be out. You know the excuse._

 _-Drew and Morgan_

A few seconds later she replied back.

 _Drew-_

 _Of course. My parents are out for the weekend. They said I was welcome to have friends over and I can imitate their voices if need be. You two have easy voices. I'm glad I have parents who don't care._

 _-Natalie_

I grinned at Drew. "I'm glad Natalie is such an awesome actor!" Drew agreed and we waited for the outside to quiet down. He looked to his watch.

"Okay, it's 1:23. The janitors will be making their rounds in two minutes. Mrs. Scat has just left her room… go!" We slipped across the hallway and into the nearby classroom. She always left it unlocked for the janitors. Drew and I ducked into her supply closet and jumped into the boxes. We shoved ourselves under the cabinets and waited.

Janitor Number 1 walked into the closet, flashed his flashlight over the room, and left. We waited. Janitor Number 2 walked in, shuffled through the crap, kicked the boxes, and left.

We climbed out of our boxes with mile-wide grins. Drew smirked and slid from the closet and into the classroom. We waved at the cameras before Drew plugged his phone into a jack under it. He whistles a cheery tune as he disabled all the cameras, making it display that the storm had caused the system to malfunction.

I pulled the keys from my pocket. We unlocked the door and raced down the halls, watching quietly as the last janitor left. We waved at his back as he walked from the door, cheering at having successfully evaded notice. Drew grinned and lead the way to Coach Lane's room.

Mom had just sent a text back that she was fine with the sleepover as we unlocked door. Coach Lane had the most interesting assortment of things. He was the drama teacher/football coach. Quite the combination, no?

We unlocked his closet and fished out two thermal sleeping bags, tossing them into a corner next to the heater. I whooped in excitement and we dove into the rest of his junk. We both pulled out with a few… interesting… items. Drew tossed me the soccer ball. I grinned and kicked it back to him.

We darted out into the hall, taking turns kicking the ball at the wall. It bounced back at an angle and we both went for it. We hit each other and collided. We grinned and knocked knuckles before gathering another item. We smirked at the silly string and ran through the halls spraying the stuff at each other.

We went back and cleaned up the evidence before tackling the football equipment. He grabbed the ball and I ran down the hall. He threw it in a perfect spiral and I caught it. He roared in laughter and threw his arms in the air. "TOUCHDOWN MORGAN!" I grinned and slammed the ball into the ground. He ran up behind me and threw me over his shoulder. I screamed and lightly bonked his head and shoulders before I managed to drop to the ground.

We decided to next "messing up" some rooms. We unlocked one of the teacher's rooms, each grabbing three dry erase markers and drawing all over the board. With pencils, we wrote all over the desks. My favorite was the one I found that said, " _Hello, My name is Samantha. Let's start a desk note!"_ I wrote back, " **Hello, Samantha. This is Tom Riddle."**

We pulled on some disposable rubber gloves and made a sculpture of gum on the teacher's desk. It kind of looked like Naruto. We laughed at it and escaped this room to wreak havoc in the next.

We found that the room had a giant picture of Albert Einstein. We wrote on the board, " **If Albert jumped off a bridge and told you that the opposite of .13634534r (the square root of pi) times the airspeed velocity of a flying sparrow was the equation to fly… would you jump too?"** We decided that was enough for this room.

The next room was an art room. We put newspaper all over the floor and other important items, dressed in the lost and found clothes, put on hair covers, glasses, gloves, and picked up the paint brushes. We splattered each other all over. We laughed until our sides heaved and we had to lie on the ground to keep from passing out.

We stood and began to work up a plan. We then began to splatter paint all over the still-covered floor, giving it a new look. We painted a huge mural of a beach and hung it on the wall for irony. We then piled a paint covered newspaper on the other wall and made it look like a huge collage.

The next room had a load of posters for Twilight and notes for "The Proper Argument." Now I was a fan of Twilight, but this was just too good of a chance. I wrote, " **Vampires do not twinkle in the light, they burn. Edward Cullen sparkles. Therefore, Edward Cullen is not a vampire, he is a fairy."**

Drew thumped me on the back and we left. The school was chilling now due to the snow outside, so we used the key to the boiler room and kicked the heat back on. If we kept it up, the place would stay warm. We made it to the cafeteria next.

Drew unlocked the door to the food storage and we borrowed a LOAD of cookies and muffins. We munched on them and dug into the chocolate milk. After we'd ate our minds out, we decided to mess with the cafeteria next. We hijacked the "unfit books" posters from the closets and hung them all over the place.

One said " **Harry Potter is the wee-zard of the future!"** with a picture of Harry in the bathroom. Another said " **I don't care if you are fat. I love you anyway!"** We taped a picture of Obama to the bottom. The third stated, " **One bling to rule them all!"** with Gollum and Frodo wearing gold chains and shutter shades. The next stated, " **Power to Hitler. Brunettes kick butt."** I added a picture of Hannah Montana with a drawn-on mustache. In marker I wrote, " **Brunette power, baby!"** Drew fell over laughing when he saw it.

We made our way to the bathrooms. We wrote " **It's cool to pee in school"** on the walls. I laughed my butt off and moved on to writing on the mirrors with lipstick. I wrote, " **To enter the Chamber of Secrets, please state the following: HISS."** We high fived and left the bathroom.

Our next stop was the huge bin of lost and found clothes. Drew dressed up in a hoodie that said "kiss this" and I put on a hat that said "I'm a girl. I shop. NOT." We exchanged outfits and took pictures of ourselves, making funny poses before changing back into our real clothes. The clock said it was 11:00. We grinned and darted to the theater. We stood on the stage and readied ourselves, waiting…

As soon as it reached 11:11, we both screamed, "I WISH FOR A MILLION MORE SNOW DAYS!" We laughed and spotted the theater costumes. We dressed up and set the stage up. I stood on the balcony and waited. Drew knelt on his right knee below me. "Oh dear Rapunzel… Let down your long hair~" I cursed at him, turning up my nose in mock displeasure. "I am Juliette, thank you very much!" He caught me as I jumped. I scoffed, "But I guess you will do."

We changed back and walked through the hall looking for something to do. We discovered the lockers. We grinned and taped up a bunch of signs saying, " **The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir… beware. That would be you, in case you didn't realize."** We nabbed Mr. Den's stuffed raccoon, hung it from a locker, and poured water all over the floor.

We left the scene of the crime and returned to the Janitor's Closet with more signs. " **Flying Broomsticks stored here."** We nodded and pulled out the broom with a really wide end and wrote on it so it said, "Lawlcat9001." We leaned it on the wall outside the door and ran back to Coach Lane's room.

We were about to step inside when we passed by the library. We stopped and grinned. We walked inside and stacked books up until we had made a HUGE domino line. We escaped without knocking anything over and entered Coach Lane's room. We hid in the sleeping bags and drifted off to sleep.

-!-

Drew's alarm went off and we woke up. We took showers in the locker rooms, dressing in lost and found clothes, and fixed our hair. We unlocked the door to the outside, dropped Coach Lane's keys on the floor, relocked the door as we stepped outside, and ran for Drew's truck. Just as we reached the safety of the woods, the first students arrived. We walked after them to the door. The doors were locked.

We grinned as they read the sign posted there. We wrote it to say: " **Text your friends to be here early. This will be epic. Remember to take pictures."** Drew and I knuckled each other and everyone began to text. Within ten minutes, thirty more people were there and the first teacher arrived. He ignored the sign and let everyone in.

The first people to see the cafeteria signs died laughing. Others soon noticed the changes. We nodded and they all read the next notice: " **Welcome First Years to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please refrain from touching anything until your houses have been assigned. Explore as you wish."**

We followed the arrows we made down to hall with the students to where the raccoon hung. We died laughing with the others as everyone took in the wall. The arrows pointed on down the hall to the bathroom. EVERYONE fought to enter and died laughing at the walls. One or two even hissed.

We were then ushered by the teachers into leaving and separating. People had already taken pictures of things all over school. Texts were sent out faster than teachers could stop, and groups of kids began exploring the school. Nothing quieted down until third period.

I sighed as it finally seemed that everything was over. Just as I was walking by myself down the hall, a chick in front of me shouted, "It was him, I swear! The Dark Lord himself wrote back on my desk! I knew he was real!" Uproar started, and I happened to see Drew ahead of me in the hall. As we passed, we lifted hands and high fived.

Our school talked about everything for the next three weeks.

Best. Snow day. Ever.

-!-

 **Side story - Drew's new home**

Her appearance shined like the sun to me. Every time I saw her, my heart skipped a beat. My cheeks sometimes heated up and pulled my lips up in a soft smile. She only giggled. Her laugh sent tingles up my spine. Her name is Aimi…

Long black lashes, dazzling dark blue eyes, golden brown locks in relaxed coils of curl. Her figure was perfect. Her weight was the right type. And her personality was flawless.

I wasn't expecting her in the fields where the men worked. I helped most every day that I wasn't training. It paid for my stay. Her thin fingers on my shoulder startled me. I turned and saw her brilliant smile. "Lunch today, Drew! Granny made it for us to eat!" I looked from her to the boss. He only grinned and gave me a thumbs up. I was still regarded as a hero in this village.

I followed Aimi to the side and over into town. The house was empty as we entered. Granny was shopping today, so we had the house to ourselves. Aimi walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the basket of food hidden there. She grabbed my hand and pulled me after her.

She finally stopped walking at our place. It was really just a little glade of trees thirty minutes walk from the village. She sat down easily and we set up the food. Aimi seemed quiet as she sat there across from me.

"Something wrong?" I asked. She seemed shocked before laughing slightly. She managed at last, "Am I ugly or something?" I gaped at her and blathered out, "No, no, no! You're beautiful!" She seemed unsure. "Was that girl you went after prettier?" I blinked. "Honestly, I never thought much about her."

She looked confused. "This isn't fair!" I frowned and she continued, looking slightly devastation. "Who is it you always think about?! I see your eyes fade out and your blush! Who is it over! I want to know!" She seemed to see what she was doing and looked away. I moved over to her and whispered, "I was thinking about you, Aimi…"

She looked over to me and I added in, "Even if you are only family right now… I wish we could be a little more." "Family?" She asked. I sighed and leaned back. "I lost my memory of my old home, so this is my new one. You and granny are my new family."

Her face fell. "Is that how you love me? As a sister?" I frowned and looked at her. "No." She smiled at me and caught me in a tight hug. I accepted it with a small smile and a red face.

I loved my family.


	101. Chapter 101

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 101**

I couldn't remember making it to the woods, but I definitely remembered the pain. I had clawed at my stomach so much that blood was leaking through my shirt. My breaths came in rapid gasps, and my muscles were cramping and spasming.

I stopped near a tree and lowered my back onto it. I was safer in these trees. Now was step 3… survive for 24 hours until the ring began to work again.

I let my breathing slow and I relaxed as best I could. My fingers peeled the cloth from my stomach and examined the wounds I had inflicted on myself. Gashes from my fingers criss-crossed over my stomach, each ranging in length from an inch to halfway across the surface. Some were deeper than others. I pulled the shirt from my body and ripped it into strips, tying them around the wounds.

Next, my fingers moved up to my collar. I touched it. The metal was so cold against my skin. My stomach throbbed even as I sat here. I knew if I relaxed too long, my body would shut down. I let my fingers fall to the curse mark on my shoulder. I grimaced and reminded myself that I needed to move.

I stood shakily and pressed a hand to the makeshift bandage. I grimaced yet again and began walking. Running was out of the question. I walked along as best I could, trying to ignore the trembling. I had to find somewhere safe as soon as possible. I looked down at my ring again and sighed. It'd been three hours. 21 more and I could contact someone.

Please let someplace safe be ahead…

-!-

Madi leaned on Itachi as he helped her to the creek. She dropped down and let her leg sink in until it was completely underwater. "That should help the swelling more," Itachi said quietly. She nodded and looked at his face in silence. He dropped down beside her and leaned back onto his arms, letting his gaze search the sky.

Madi watched her leg as it moved in the water. "I'm sorry, Itachi…" He glanced to her. "What for?" "I heard you earlier…" She whispered. Itachi looked away. "That isn't your fault or mine." "Still… she only got hurt in the first place because of me… She would be with you right now."

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes. "I will find her. No matter how hard it is, I will find her." Madi tried to stand and Itachi was forced to aid her. She clenched her jaw and muttered, "What's left of her… " Itachi's eyes glinted with anger as she continued, louder this time. "Mind and soul don't always survive torture." Itachi lead Madi inside before abandoning her in anger and storming out.

He attacked a tree in frustration. The blows became more and more forceful. Without thinking he screamed out, "I don't care what's left! I just want her back!" He stopped and cursed himself for thinking that. Or losing control again, for that matter. He glared at the tree and then to his bleeding knuckles. Without another word, he lay down on the ground and stared back up at the sky and setting sun. Night was coming quickly.

-!-

As my foot hit the ground, I knew I'd taken the final step. My body caved in and my legs completely gave away. I fell to the ground just beside a rushing water current. I lay on my stomach and let it all go. I let the fear leak out and fade. I let the stress relax into nothingness. My eyes looked over and to the water. I dipped my blood covered hand into the water and closed my eyes. I let my pain be washed away by the water.

With that, I slipped away and into a dream. I was too tired to feel pain anymore. I couldn't feel my body anymore. Without any chakra to sustain my body, I had already been weak. Without that strength, plus the handicap of the ripped muscle in my stomach… I was never actually in shape to be standing, much less escaping.

I finally let it go and fell asleep.

My dreams revolved around that picture. I saw the picture in my mind. I craved it. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be at that exact time and place. I wanted to go back to the beginning and do it all over again. I wanted that happiness. I craved that laughter. I ached for the happy tears. My body moved toward that feeling, and I was awoken by water on my skin.

Somehow I had rolled over and flipped into the water. It wasn't very deep, but seeing as my body would not respond… I felt pretty much dead. The water moved me until my back hit a rock. My head snapped back limply. I wondered if every muscle in my body had simply given up. I wondered if I have given up. No… I was free. I couldn't give up. I only had 19 more hours until… I blinked in shock. My ring was not on my hand. I gasped and tried to look for it. Within moments I had managed to move out of the shallows and into rushing water.

I felt my head slip under. The water rushed over my face and body. By some miracle, my ring fell back into my hand. The liquid felt so good on my wounded stomach and body that it refused to even try and surface from it. The pain was gone here. I relaxed into the cool nothingness and wondered how I could ever want to breathe again.

I didn't know why that particular memory came to me, but I remembered Itachi kissing me. I remembered as he pulled away that gasp that had left my lips. I remembered his smirk and the second kiss that'd followed.

My body moved then. I reached up and grasped onto something as I pulled myself up and out of the water. I breathed out hard and cursed myself for thinking of just letting myself drown! I looked around and noticed what I'd grabbed onto. My hand was wrapped around a root from a tree. I glanced around and discovered the tree had been cut down, leaving only the stump. I leaned back on it and breathed in again and again. I placed a hand on the old wood and whispered, "Thanks for lending a hand…" I could almost imagine it nodding. I smiled at it and whispered again, "You know a place I can stay?" I saw another root sticking up from the ground on my right. I looked up and saw an old cave entrance.

Either this tree was magic or I was going insane. Probably the second one. I pushed my aching body up and towards the place. My fingers brushed the entrance as I stepped inside. My eyes widened. The stone was smooth here. It felt as though it had been touched many times.

I walk further and felt the stone grow rougher. I tripped over a rock and realized that this tunnel was half collapsed. I smiled slightly and remembered the old Akatsuki bases. I continued walking until I came to a… door? I pressed my fingers to the rotted wood and it swung on one rusty hinge out of the way. I reached a hand out in the darkness and felt a lantern meet my fingers. I looked at it through the darkness and fiddled with the knob. To my amazement, it lit up the room.

I gaped in shock. The layout was so similar yet as different as night and day. The room was shaped the same as the first base I ever stayed at, though this one was decorated with broken floor panels and caved-in roofs. I glanced over the room and looked to the ceiling. Even the tiles were colored the same. I walked to the hallway and looked up to see a different color. I followed it and ended up in a destroyed kitchen. So this _was_ an old Akatsuki base…

I touched the counters and smiled. So all bases were built the same… I laughed weakly to myself and followed the colored tiles on the ceiling to the residential wing. I walked to a certain door, but paused and frowned. This was the placement of my room, but given the amount of time that had passed since this place had been abandoned… Orochimaru might have stayed in there.

I walked inside anyway and glanced around. My eyes found a bed much like my old one, only dust ridden and almost destroyed. I walked over to it and ran my fingers over the top. Something stood out against the ragged sheets, so I pulled them away. As the dust cleared, my eyes widened in shock.

There on the bed was something I was never expecting to see. It was a picture. It was the exact picture I had dreamed of, the one Sasori had shown me in that dream…

I lifted it up and into the light in order to see it better. To both my horror and amazement, at the bottom of the picture written in Sasori's hand writing was " **My Messed up Family"**. I reread it ten times before I could even comprehend what it really said. I turned the picture over and saw another sentence etched there. " **Had a dream about this for some reason."** I blinked and looked at the date of the comment. It was two weeks before Sasori's death. So he had stopped by here and wrote this… all for a dream?

I smiled and pulled the picture to my chest. How was it that he was comforting me even when he was dead? I sighed and turned the lamp off. I lay on the dirty mattress and let the pain fade as I relaxed. I would rest, just for a little bit…

… … …

No light met my eyes as I awoke. My first thought was that I was still in Sasuke's room and had dreamed the whole thing. That was ruled out by all the new aches I had gained from sleeping. My stomach had tightened so badly that I could hardly move from bed. I groaned and forced all of my muscles into moving me from the bed to a standing position.

I reached out and grabbed the lantern, turning the lever until the light flickered to life. I carried it with me, down the long hallway to the outside. My eyes scanned over the falling rain. Of course it would be raining.

I pressed a shaking and weak hand to the wall and tried to decide what to do. I had to have nourishment somehow. Rain was cleaner water than that of the creek. I took an unsteady step out and looked around. I saw the stump from before and walked over to it.

My fingers slid over the rough surface before the rest of my body followed, falling down onto the place where I could sit and relax. The rain felt amazing on my skin. I let it hit me and chill my wounds.

I pressed my fingers into the earth and dug them in, when suddenly a strange rumbling sound met my ears. I turned my head towards it and felt my eyes widen. My next breath was put on hold as a scream parted my lips. The little stream had become a roaring current, and I watched as the swelling wall of water came at me.

I turned and grasped onto the stump as the water hit my body. I squeezed my eyes shut in terror as I felt the stump giving way. It was ripped from the ground a moment later, and I was sucked headlong into the current of the tumultuous river.

 **Author-chan's Super Amazing Interview!**

Itachi

Me (Author-chan): So, you have been one of the main stars in Black Ice now.

Itachi: What are you talking about?

Me: Never mind that, I guess you're trying to stay in character and all…

Itachi: What character? How did I get here? I'm supposed to be looking for Morgan!

Me: Ahhhh… well, what do you think about Sasuke taking your spot like that?

Itachi: Um… *reads story* … I think I seriously want to beat his head in.

Me: Well, that's good…?

Itachi: Can I go now?

Me: Sure…

Sasori

Me: How does it feel to die?

Sasori: I'm not dead.

Me: I thought everyone was gonna act in character…

Sasori: If I'm dead, does it matter?

Me: Touché. So if you hadn't died… where would you have looked for Morgan?

Sasori: I would have looked in the place she was.

Me: … You're dismissed.

Sasori: Hehehe…

Deidara

Me: So why don't you ever cut your hair?

Deidara: It's a chick magnet.

Me: *thinks of birds* Do you let them lay eggs there?

Deidara: …

Me: Anyways… what do you think of being paired with Tobi?

Deidara: It sucks.

Me: Do you appreciate me not adding "un" to the ends of your sentences?

Deidara: No.

Me: Why not?

Deidara: You still use "hmn" sometimes.

Me: :)

Kisame

Me: What do you think of the new releases of Naruto?

Kisame: The new releases of what?

Me: Never mind…

Kisame: *confused*

Me: Well um… what's it like being a fish?

Kisame: I. AM. A. SHARK.

Me: Fine… sheesh…

Tobi

Me: Do babies try and lick your mask?

Tobi: I wouldn't know?

Me: Why not?

Tobi: I kick babies. I don't hold them.

Me: *gasp* DON'T KICK BABIES!

Tobi: *got a timeout* *pouts*

Zetsu

Me: …

Zetsu: …

Me: …

Zetsu: …

*twenty minutes of "…"*

Me: I'm glad we had this talk.

Zetsu: My life is changed now due to you.

Me: Have a nice day.

Zetsu: You too.

Pein

Me: Pain without love, pain I can't get enough.

Pein: Pain I like it rough… cuz I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all…

Me: You're sick of feeling numb, you're not the only one.

Pein: I'll take you by the hand and show you a world you'll understand!

Konan:

Me: If you take showers, do you break apart and go down the drain?

Konan: I'm not _really_ made out of paper.

Me: … That just ruined it for me.

Konan: -_-'

Hidan

Me: Do you like candy?

Hidan: Yes.

Me: *throws in time out box with Tobi* Have fun.

Hidan: *bleep*

Kakuzu

Kakuzu: *looks to Hidan and Tobi in time out box*

Me: Do you like candy?

Kakuzu: Do you?

Me: YEAH!

Kakuzu: *throws Author-chan in time out box and locks door* Have fun.

Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


	102. Chapter 102

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 102**

Theme song: Comatose by Skillet

Madi stood and moved to the door of the base with Itachi's help, putting more of her weight on her injured leg than before. She stared out at the rain. "I want to go out." Itachi glanced to her and helped her out and into the falling drops of water. Madi walked out to the creek and frowned. "The water is rising quickly…" Itachi nodded. "The rain must be harder upstream than here."

Madi looked quietly into the water. Her eyes widened and she dropped to the ground, thrusting her hands and arms into the water. Itachi lunged forward and grabbed her upper arms to keep her from falling in. Madi pulled back, clutching something in her hand.

Itachi glanced at it and felt his body freeze in horror. In Madi's hands was Morgan's Akatsuki ring. The ring's blue hue shone amid the pouring rain, and the kanji for innocence stood out from it like a diamond in the sky. Itachi gaped, a single word leaving his mouth. "Morgan."

Both sets of heads turned left, looking desperately up the river. Madi could only mouth the name, grip on the ring tightening. Itachi started to run away from Madi before suddenly stopping and looking back at her, eyes distraught and desperate. Madi struggled to her feet, hobbling towards him. "Go! I can stay here! She has to be close by!" Itachi couldn't speak, locked up in indecision. Madi shoved the ring into his hand and shouted again, "GO!" He nodded briefly and darted upstream, quickly out of sight.

Madi watched him go, hoping with all her heart that everything would be okay. Without her ring, Morgan would end up hurting herself. But Madi was more shocked that Morgan was even close enough for her ring to make it to them in this storm.

Madi pushed away the sudden thought in her head, but it refused to leave. _What if Morgan was not with the ring? What if she was already…_ Madi stood as quickly as she could and limped back into the base.

-!-

I couldn't feel much at all now. My eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard I tried. Though my lungs still drew air, I couldn't use it to move. Water pressed against my back, holding me against the obstacle in the water. My fingers twitched and I realized what I had caught on. My body was wrapped around a stone sticking out from the middle of the rushing current.

I smiled slightly as I my body allowed to move a bit. The good feeling didn't last long, though. I felt the ring slipping from my finger, and I couldn't move to grasp it. So… that was it. I was going to die this time. I didn't know why my mind seemed so much clearer right now. Maybe it was because I could only focus on the feeling of the ring as it slipped more and more down my finger until…

It fell away, into the water. It was moving further and further from me. All I could do was count the seconds until the pain would begin. Five… four… three… two…

It struck me all at once, almost like it was flowing in from the water. I breathed in sharply, trying to feel the coolness of the water instead. With my mind resting in this strange circumstance, I could look more clearly at my situation. Two of my ribs had cracked and my muscles seemed to have been ripped apart. The current had beaten me against too many things.

All the same my collar was perfectly intact. I managed to open my eyes at last. I saw the sign for innocence etched onto my hand. I stared at it and at water around me. I could not move to make it to the edge twenty feet in either direction. I couldn't even move deeper under the water. I was stuck adrift.

The pain lancing over me faded after a while, my body becoming accustomed to it. I lay in the water without anything to do except breathe. And through all of this, my ring was only getting further and further upstream.

I closed my eyes and let my mind drift away once more. It was all I could do now.

-!-

Itachi slid to a stop as he came to the river bank, just in front of an old tree stump. His eyes flickered over something out of place. A broken lantern lay in the mud next to a piece of land that seemed to be missing. He knelt next to the glass and realized that the wick had been lit only a few hours ago.

He spun in a full circle, eyes frantically searching the dull scenery. "MORGAN?!" Nothing met his ears, and he darted inside the cave. Sharingan flashed as he flitted through in search of anyone, anything. He begged that she had been the one here. He slid to a stop outside of the last room.

He took a shaky breath and stepped inside. His senses focused, and his eyes widened. The entire room smelled like her. She had been here only a few hours ago. He turned and ran from the room, down the halls and back outside to the lantern. Looking at the torn up section of the river bank, it all clicked in one horrible moment.

The earth had given way. She had fallen into the water.

-!-

I grew weaker and weaker in the water. The pain seemed to drain me. I wanted to scream or at least groan. My lungs didn't let me. I kept my eyes squeezed shut. I just let the water flow around me as I was pressed to the rock.

Itachi's face came to mind. I smiled at it and imagined talking to him.

"I've really missed you."

His eyes were so full of sorrow. "I… I still miss you…"

I blinked my eyes open, my tired mind changing the face to Kisame's. I asked him how he was doing. All I saw was a frustrated face. I laughed at him. Next was Madi. She seemed hurt, only saying, "Hurry up." I ignored her and moved on one by one through the Akatsuki. No one seemed in the mood to talk to me about anything but my situation.

My thoughts suddenly swung, and I saw Drew laughing and smiling. I decided not to interrupt him. My mother and father and brother flew by, too. All of them seemed stressed and sad. I decided they were all in bad moods.

I sighed as I wondered if I really had gone insane. I watched as the rain slowly stopped. The pain was still there, a sharp contrast to the calm of my mind. I wished I could find my ring. I wished I could get out. I wished I could move. It was getting so dark…

-!-

Itachi's sharingan scanned the water in desperate search for Morgan as he ran alongside the river. He arrived back at the base to see Madi waiting for him. She looked confused. Itachi paused beside her, still looking at the water. "She must have fallen into the water." Madi looked downstream, as if Morgan would suddenly be there if she looked. "…Could she have…?" Itachi slammed a hand over her mouth and took off running again.

 _Please don't be dead. Please don't drown! Please be okay!_ His mind roared her name again and again as his feet hit the ground. His eyes searched all around as he ran Where was she? Where was she? Morgan!

He slid to a stop as he saw something in the water ahead. In the midst of the currents stood a rock. Caught on that rock was a body. Itachi's eyes widened as he took in Morgan's motionless form. He shakily stepped towards he.

Pain ripped through his right shoulder, and he was thrown back and pinned to a tree. His eyes jerked up and met his attacker's face. "Sasuke!" The teen glared at him. "Itachi." Itachi's eyes filled with a rage he'd never felt before. "You've had her?!" Sasuke heard the shock and pain in his brother's voice. He sneered, venom dripping from every word. "… She is there because of me."

Itachi's eyes moved in slow motion back to Morgan. She seemed to cling to the rock even while unconscious. Itachi lowered his head after a moment, his body rigid with anger and disbelief. "… You have been with her." Sasuke smirked and nodded slowly. "The whole time."

Sasuke looked to Morgan. "She was waiting for you for such a long time. All she would scream as I tortured her was 'He will come!' How sad to think she tried so hard to get away on her own, only for me to have followed her. So sad to think you have only found her as she is about to die."

Itachi lunged forward, the sword lodged in his shoulder turning red with his blood. "BASTARD!" Sasuke took a step back and pulled the sword from Itachi's shoulder. Itachi's eyes were wide and filled with anger. He pulled a kunai from the inside of his cloak. "SASUKE!" The two met in a flurry of metal and sparks.

Sasuke scoffed. "You never hurt her. I could tell just by the way she talked about you. You could do no wrong. You were an angel among men. But even the strongest man falls when put through what I put her through." Itachi's sharingan meet Sasuke's, and the two met in a ferocious genjutsu war.

Sasuke attacked with the images of Morgan screaming below Sasuke. Sasuke's voice whispered like velvet. " _And when she needed someone to be there in your place…"_ The image moved and showed Morgan's hand gripping Sasuke's. Itachi ripped the image to pieces, obliterating Sasuke's genjutsu.

Sasuke was forced back by his furious elder brother. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" Itachi roared. Sasuke moved to the right and dodged Itachi's attack, laughing and giving him him a cruel smirk. "You are trying to lie and tell me you loved her? Is that really true? You never came for her. She came to you, but she brought me. Can you really think she will still care after she has gone through all of this?! I will take her back with me! She will never go with you again!"

Itachi moved faster than Sasuke could comprehend, pinning him to a tree by his throat. "Sasuke…" Itachi glared at his younger brother. "You don't know my pain. You never knew my pain! You are only Sasuke! You do not know me!" Sasuke bared his teeth in a snarl. "PROVE TO ME THAT YOU LOVE HER!"

Itachi's hand tightened slightly, and his eyes flickered in pain. "IS IT NOT ENOUGH THAT I WOULD KILL YOU FOR HER?!" Sasuke paused. He looked down and away from Itachi. Itachi couldn't see Sasuke's eyes. All Itachi saw was the smirk now playing on Sasuke's lips. His own eyes widened.

Sasuke looked up at Itachi, his eyes flashing with a challenge. "So, she wasn't lying." Itachi released his younger brother. "What do you mean?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow and replied, "She said you loved her. But she also said that you loved me more. I knew she was lying. I knew it…"

He turned from Itachi and began to walk away. He looked back over his shoulder at the body afloat in the water. "She's different from others. She's strange. I've never seen someone so dead set like that girl. All the same, if you don't get that ring back in her hand, she'll die." Sasuke turned away and walked slowly towards the treeline. "Take care of her. I have the feeling she knows you better than you know yourself." And with that, he disappeared into the trees.

Itachi dashed to Morgan's side. He lifted her up in his arms and looked into her face. She breathed slowly and trembled. Itachi pressed the ring into her hand. Her face seemed to relax and her eyes opened slightly. Itachi shook in relief. "I'm here Morgan…" She replied with a weak smile. "Took you long enough."


	103. Chapter 103

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 103**

Theme song: Comatose by Skillet

"Nothing Left"

The pain of not having the ring faded as the warm metal was pressed to my throbbing flesh. I remembered feeling movement as arms wrapped around me. I opened my eyes and knew I'd finally gone insane. Itachi's worried face was looking down at me. "I'm here Morgan…" I couldn't help but smile at my mind's illusion. "Took you long enough."

I passed out in the feeling of warmth holding me. I couldn't remember anything after that.

-!-

My arm ached as I lifted the unconscious girl up in my arms. I ignored the dull pain and darted for the base. What was the thing on her?! It resembled a dog collar and seemed to cut into her neck. She groaned in her sleep and I watched in panic when she seemed unable to move her body.

Madi's eyes met mine as I sprinted into the clearing. She saw Morgan in my arms and froze in shock. "I'm going to need first aid!" I shouted. Madi looked over her shoulder towards the base. Within half a moment, Kakuzu was at my side.

I gaped in surprise at him. Kakuzu pressed a hand to the stab wound in my shoulder, and stitches pulled the skin closed. I growled, shoving past him and through the cave entrance. "Her before me! She needs it more than I do!" Other members appeared in the hallways as I carried Morgan through them.

I laid her down on a bed and they immediately swarmed over her form. Kakuzu shoved them away angrily and looked at Morgan before turning and pointing at me. "Get him out!" I pushed the arms coming for me away. "NO!" Kakuzu grabbed my cloak and forced me to stop. "You are unstable! You aren't going to help her like this!" He shoved me backwards and turned back to Morgan. "Hurry out so I can work!" I was frozen in panic before Kisame pulled me away and back outside.

… … …

Kakuzu placed a hand on Morgan's forehead. "She has a fever…" he mumbled to himself. His hands moved down her body as he inspected her for other injuries. "Three cracked ribs… pulled muscles in her upper stomach, ripped muscles in her lower stomach." He cursed, feeling the eyes of the concerned Akatsuki. "Everyone out! Zetsu, stay." The others were shoved out, leaving two in the room.

Kakuzu peeled away the bandages, revealing the gashes. Infection was already creeping into the wounds. He looked to Zetsu only to see him already with the medicine needed. Kakuzu nodded and began to pour the liquid into her cuts. She groaned in her sleep and Kakuzu stitched her up as quickly as possible. The lesser wounds were bandaged.

Zetsu placed a cool cloth on her head and seemed to ask Kakuzu with his eyes what to do next. Kakuzu sighed. "I've managed to close the bleeding. I am going to need to check and make sure Itachi didn't puncture anything when he moved her." He turned back to the bed, resuming his inspection, and Zetsu left to inform the Akatsuki of their findings.

Itachi was definitely not calm, Zetsu noticed, as he walked into the living room where they were all gathered. Pein had managed to take his cloak off and treat the pierce wound in his shoulder. Sharingan eyes pierced desperately into Zetsu's.

Everyone turned when they heard Zetsu walk in calmly. "She will live. There are not any punctures, but she will not be able to move due to the fact she has ripped muscles in her stomach. It is possible that-" He looked away and paused.

"Possible what?" Itachi demanded. Zetsu looked back to him. "The way her body has been injured… she may not be able to move again." Itachi's eyes widened. He looked away and seemed to go into shock. Madi pressed her fingers to his shoulder. Her voice was hesitant, "Her chances of complete recovery?" "For the average human, a year for complete recovery. For a ninja like her… we cannot tell. She currently has no chakra at all."

Kakuzu walked into the room. "That is correct. That thing around her neck is a chakra sucker. It has a tap on her chakra." Itachi snapped out of his trance and glared. "Can't you just take it off?!" Kakuzu shook his head slowly. "Her body has grown use to the lack of chakra. With a flood of new chakra, she could go into shock and her body could shut down from it."

Itachi ran a hand aggressively through his hair. "What can I do then?!" Kakuzu sighed. "Nothing. We can only wait." Itachi closed his eyes in pain. Madi hugged him lightly. "You never gave up hope before. Don't lose it now."

Itachi looked to her, the tiniest of smiles appearing on his mouth. "I never said I was." She smiled to him. Itachi then turned and asked, "Why are you even here?" "You left your ring with Kisame," Pein answered. "Of course you would not know that her ring was triggered again. It went off a while back and we all discovered her coordinates."

Hidan slumped back on the couch. "Pein ordered an immediate scan of the area. We got there only to find the base blown to f*cking bits." Tobi bounced over to Itachi. "So we tracked her! We found Madi and knew you would come soon~!"

Itachi seemed to take it all in. His eyes fell. "I see…" Pein sighed. "Your clone idea never fooled anyone." Kisame sighed. "If you would have stuck around, you would have known that Pein reissued the search." Itachi smiled slightly. "So I wasn't the only one who didn't want to give up…"

Konan left the room, heading to Morgan's room to check on her. Kakuzu sighed. "There is something else you need to know, Itachi…" Itachi glared at him to continue when Konan burst from the hallway. "She's awake!"

Itachi darted into the room. No one else followed. Morgan was lying on the bed, her eyes clenched shut and her hand gripping her left shoulder. "Morgan?" Itachi managed to croak. Her eyes widened and she looked to him. "Itachi!" He watched and noticed the changes in her.

Her eyes were dimmer and her eyebrows seemed permanently furrowed. Pain was evident on her face. She smiled weakly, and Itachi saw her spirit had weakened just as her body had.

He walked over to her and took her hand. "I'm here." She laughed. "You are always here." She continued to hold her shoulder. Itachi frowned. "Did Kakuzu not wrap that wound?" Her eyes widened. Itachi's hand moved to touch it and she screamed, "NO!" He saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't look!" She begged. Itachi pulled her hand away anyway and felt anger etch onto his face.

Fury raced over his body and into his chest. His Sharingan blazed redder than ever before. His teeth ground together. His fists clenched harder and harder.

She saw his expression and her face contorted in horror. She reached out for his arm. "No, Itachi!" His expression faltered and he ran from the room. He flew out of the base and over to the tree he'd pummeled earlier. Madi found him a few minutes later. "What were you thinking?!" Itachi froze and Madi demanded, "Why did you just run out?!"

Itachi dropped to the ground and covered his face with shaking hands. She noticed his loss of composure and sat down next to him. "What happened?" Itachi managed to state, "He gave her the curse mark… That snake bit her." Madi looked confused. "That's why you ran out on her?" Itachi trembled. "… I didn't know what to do."

Kakuzu could be heard screaming from inside the base. "YOU CAN'T BE UP YET! NO, MORGAN!" Both turned as Morgan, wrapped in bed sheets, stumbled her way outside. Itachi gaped at her before lunging towards her. Her eyes were panicked, and her mouth was set in that same panic. She saw Itachi and dropped to her knees.

Tears rolled over her cheeks. "Don't leave me, Itachi! Please don't go again!" Itachi moved forward more carefully and dropped down in front of her. She cried, letting out all her tension and fear. Itachi pulled her gently to him. His mouth met her hair as he slowly pet her back.

"Morgan… I'm not going anywhere, Morgan." She didn't seem to believe him. Her eyes looked up, still so dull. Her fingers curled into his cloak. Itachi tried to force his emotions into his voice so she would believe it. "I am not leaving you again, ever." She looked down, her voice whispering, "This is an illusion… I'll wake up and still be in Sasuke's room…"

Itachi pushed back the new pain from learning more about what she'd been through. He rested his forehead on top of her head. "I am real. We are here. The Akatsuki are all here for you." She shook, looking up at him with slightly clearer eyes. "Can you prove it?" His mind focused on the curse mark on her arm and the bite mark scars on her neck.

He remembered the things Sasuke had said. He remembered all the pain she was in. He pulled her up and closer to him. His lips met hers and he kissed her. She seemed to cave under him and let herself go. Itachi pulled away slowly. She sighed and smiled. "I missed you so much." He smiled as best he could and gently carried her back into the base as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

Her placed her on the bed and watched as she moved the tiniest bit to relax herself. Itachi watched her face slacken back into calm and innocence. He felt his eyes melt as he looked at her angelic face. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead again. "I'm sorry…" he whispered.

Kakuzu paused in the doorway. "I don't even see how she could move after all this… That much pain would keep most of us down. Trauma mentally and physically like that… it affects people." Itachi nodded slightly. "Will she move on from this?" Kakuzu leaned against the doorframe, thinking. "From this? I believe so. She's stronger than I thought. To be able to move when her body is hurt like that… I could hardly believe it. She seemed so desperate to stop you that she could even move like that. That's something I've never seen."

Itachi felt a small smile on his lips. "I am going for a walk." Kakuzu looked to Morgan, "And if she wakes up?" "I am resting my wounds." Kakuzu sighed. "I doubt she'll believe that…" Itachi stood and made his way from the room.

Kakuzu watched as he walked down the hall. "Don't do anything stupid. She needs you to recover." Itachi turned and nodded before disappearing around the corner. Kakuzu started slightly as Morgan whispered, "Gone again… I knew it…" Kakuzu pressed a hand to her shoulder. "I don't see how you can hear in your sleep, but please don't wake up for a while… Your senses need time to adjust."

She continued to sleep. Kakuzu walked from the room and down the hall.


	104. Chapter 104

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 104**

Theme song: Comatose by Skillet

[Special Theme Song for this chapter: Akatsuki no Kuruma]

I wondered, now as I was waking up, why everyone seemed so surprised. Konan shook her head as I moved. "How are you awake?! This kind of pain…" I grinned and sat up, much to their shock. "Want me to dance too? Now help me out of this wrap. I can't stand the stuff." Kakuzu growled. "STAY PUT." I rolled my eyes and stood anyway.

Kakuzu sighed and balled his fists. "Don't you realize what you could do to yourself?!" I shrugged. "Do you not realize what I've just been through? This is nothing." Ooh, now he was REALLY mad. His temper flares and got right up in my face. "IF YOU DON'T GET BACK IN THAT BED RIGHT NOW I WILL FORCE YOU IN IT!"

Not wanting to make him angrier, I gave up, sitting down and letting "Dr. Kakuzu" take a look at my else in the room left as he checked the rest of me over. I just sat there quietly all alone with a man I would rather punch the heck out of than obey.

I looked at him as he muttered how much of a marvel it was that I could move. I smirked. "I see it a wonder how you can think with that ancient cobwebbed brain of yours." He ignored me. I'm kind of glad he ignored that. I didn't mean it. I was just restless from being helpless for so long.

Kakuzu sat on the edge of my bed and looked into the wall as he thought. "Morgan… even if you can move now… the damage is only getting worse. Our treatment will never be enough like this. I don't even think Konoha's medical Hokage herself could heal you." That made me rethink my next snarky comment… "So I am going to eventually lose my body?" He nodded.

I smiled at him and let my head tilt to the side. "And you are afraid that my collar will release too much chakra into my body and kill me." "Exactly." "Then why don't you release it at a slow pace?" Kakuzu grimaced. "We don't know the code. If we press the wrong buttons…" He couldn't say it. "I die," I said quietly.

I pulled an arm up and held the hand in front of my face. "So that is how it goes." I moved my fingers and watched them twitch. My mind turned the entire scenario over. I closed my eyes and reopened them to find Kakuzu's eyes on my face and moving finger tips.

He looked at me sadly. "What did they do to you?" I answered without much emotion, "Nothing compared to what they could have done… " Kakuzu sighed and pinched his fingers to his tired eyes. "You do realize that they are the reason you are like this?" I nodded. "Of course." He let his hand fall, punching the mattress. "Don't you care?!"

I smirked. "If you really want the answer… If I got to choose between not being able to move and the slim chance of helping myself… I'd choose the chance. No matter how painful or likely it is that I might die." Kakuzu's eyes widened. "Itachi won't-" "Itachi isn't HERE, is he?" I interrupted. Kakuzu visibly deflated, and he was forced to look away.

I smiled lightly and let my eyes talk to him for me. A knock came from the door and Madi walked inside. She was distraught. "Itachi's things are gone!" My eyes jerked wide and I rose to my feet. Kakuzu immediately grabbed my shoulder. "GET DOWN!" He shoved me to the bed and tied my wrists and body down. "YOU'RE CRAZY!" "I DON'T CARE!" I screamed back, struggling futilely against the ropes.

Madi looked torn as she watched me struggle. I winced and clutched my stomach tightly. Kakuzu growled. "Madi…" She gulped. "I… You needed to know…" I glared up at her from my bed. "Where did he go?" Kakuzu was quiet. I gulped and felt my throat tighten in pain. "He's going after Sasuke…"

Kakuzu nodded and I fell back in defeat. "Kakuzu… do it. Just do it." Madi looked between us nervously. "Do what? What does she want?!" Kakuzu stared at me with hollow eyes. "… She wants me to take the collar off." I tried to smile at him encouragingly, but the rest of the Akatsuki barged in and started to argue, throwing in their own comments. I cursed my failed attempt.

-!-

His eyes met the horizon as he moved through the trees. It had begun to rain again. Wet black hair stuck to his forehead. Uneven breaths left his lungs. Thoughts roamed his head as he ran.

He remembered the curse mark on Morgan's shoulder, the bite scars, the rips in her flesh, the pain in her eyes, the pain that was all too real. The words leaving Kakuzu's mouth… The tears in her eyes… Wounds covering her body… Desperation in her voice…

Itachi slowed and pressed his fingers to his eyes. He wasn't sure if it was the rain or something else. His red eyes moved back up to the horizon. It had rained so much lately.

He cursed at his thoughts. He shoved the backpack higher on his shoulders just as Kisame appeared. The man landed easily and removed Samehada from his back, swinging it down in front of Itachi and barring the way. "What are you thinking?!" Itachi's eyes narrowed.

Samehada moved and Itachi took a small step back. Kisame was furious. "What are you planning to do? Attack Orochimaru when he expects you like this? What will you accomplish? Killing yourself?!" Itachi looked away, replying without any emotion, "I am going to make them pay." Kisame laughed bitterly at that. "The only one you are hurting by doing this is Morgan!"

Itachi turned to Kisame and glared, "Explain." Kisame crossed his arms, growling, "What did you confess to her for if you were going to leave her like this?! She needs you there! I've never seen her like this before, and I've seen her bad!" Itachi glared on.

"Do you remember the picture we took at the old base?! Do you remember that?!" Kisame shouted. Itachi's eyes widened. Kisame reached into his cloak and pulled the photo from its depths. He tossed the thing at Itachi, whose eyes scanned over it as it fell to the ground. Kisame gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists. "SHE WAS HAPPY!" Itachi's eyes stayed on her face. Kisame yelled in rage and swung his sword deep into a tree. The noise echoed through the forest, muffled only by the falling rain."Itachi… She looks like we did before she came. Hopeless… alone… depressed… But she refuses to hate the ones who hurt her!"

Itachi closed his eyes. "Idiot." Kisame looked utterly repulsed. "That's it?! You're ready to abandon her because another man got his hands on her!? IS THAT ALL YOU CARE ABOUT?! DID YOU EVER LOVE HER IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER?"

Itachi moved past Kisame silently. Kisame blinked in shock before forcing himself in front of him again. "Tell me! Was this the extent of your love for her? Is this all it takes to separate you?!" Itachi looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow. Kisame looked down and his fists begin to shake. "Dammit Itachi… She won't understand. She can't understand. Do you know what you are doing to her now? Please tell me why… I need to know. We all deserve to know."

Itachi turned his back to Kisame. "This is something I must do. That is my only reason." Kisame gaped, whirling around to face Itachi's retreating form. "… You… you'd break her heart just to make up for your own mistakes… Just because you weren't there to protect her… YOU'D LEAVE HER BEHIND?! SHE IS ALREADY HURTING SO MUCH! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?!"

Itachi turned and glared at Kisame with deadly intent. The sharingan whirled, freezing Kisame before he tried to move. He trembled as Itachi stalked back towards him. "Take care of her for me." Kisame snarled and shifted into a defensive stance. "YOU'RE AN IDIOT, ITACHI! SHE'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND! SHE CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER HIT LIKE THIS!"

Itachi stopped walking forward and turned around, eyeing his friend over his shoulder. "Lie." He disappeared in a flurry of crows, and the genjutsu was released. Itachi was gone, and a startled Kisame was left in the rain. His eyes fell to Samehada, still stuck in the ruined tree. His fingers clawed into the bark and his eyes closed in distaste. "You claimed her… You wanted her… and now you just leave her. I don't understand, Itachi. Why?"

-!-

"Kisame… What happened?" Pein asked.

Kisame could hardly speak through his anger. "He left."

Every eye widened and gasps echoed throughout the chamber…

Deidara was livid. "You have to be kidding me! First Madi lets the cat out of the bag, and now he really has gone!"

Hidan let his head fall on the back of the couch. "That bastard…"

Konan could only shake her head in disbelief. "What is he thinking?

Kisame sighed. "He only said, and I quote… 'This is something I have to do. That is my only reason Take care of her for me.' And when I demanded what he thought I should do when she asked about him… he told me to lie."

Kakuzu slowly leaned against the doorframe. "… Then that is what we have to do."

"But Morgan-chan is…" Tobi trailed off.

Kakuzu closed his eyes. "I know. We know she knows… He doesn't."

What do you want us to do?" Madi asked. "Morgan is really going to lose it."

Kakuzu looked down in thought. "In this kind of mental state… it is best to tell her what she wants to hear. We will lie."

Kisame glared at him. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"… Itachi went to train and get stronger to better defend her. That's the story now," Kakuzu stated, looking at the members in the room.

"… So that's what you were going to tell me… Worst. Lie. Ever."

Everyone jumped at the small voice from the hallway. "Morgan!"

Morgan leaned heavily against the wall. "… So he really has gone…"

Everyone froze and watched the barely standing girl fully comprehend what had been said. Her eyes moved down to her feet. She turned and walked back into her room. Kakuzu darted in after her and the others waited alone in shock.

-!-

Kakuzu followed Morgan into her room. She stood motionlessly in the room, looking forward with unseeing eyes. "He lied to me…" Kakuzu moved forward as Morgan dropped to her knees. Her tears fell without restraint. "He was lying to me…!" Kakuzu hesitated at how broken she looked.

She lifted her hands to her face and covered it as she fought against the tears. "He lied… He lied… He lied to me… He said he'd never leave me again. He promised… He lied… I… He…" She wailed and flung herself at the surprised Kakuzu. She sobbed into his chest and he whispered, "It will be okay. We will all be fine… You are going to get through this…"

His words were as unsure as his touch. She noticed and moved away. Pain wreaked havoc on her once pretty features. Tears slid over her face and down to her hands as they hovered below her chin. She looked away from Kakuzu and managed to choke out, "I'm sorry. I know… knew he was lying… I knew it then, I just wanted to believe…"

She paused and turned back to face Kakuzu. Her eyes remained on the ground just above her knees. "Sasuke warned me… He was right. Why didn't I believe him? Why did I ever think Itachi would stay with me? Why?"

Kakuzu walked forward and hugged her to him again as she wailed. Her tears stained his cloak, and her fingers curled into the material tightly enough to almost rip it. Her grief could be heard throughout the base.

No member was immune from her pain. No one was free of her wails and screams. No one knew what to do for her. No one had a clue. They could only listen as she killed herself from the soul outward.

-!-

The rain stopped at last, the final drop sliding down Itachi's nose and dripping onto his cloak. He stopped running and looked down. "Dammit Morgan… I am so sorry… Please forgive me. Please wait for me again… Please…" He looked back up to the horizon and ran on.

End Song: Fences by Paramore and Hishoku no Sora by Kawada Mami

Hey y'all, it's your friendly neighborhood purpleheart3000. I hope you've enjoyed the on-time chapters, I'm doing a lot better now with managing school. Anyway, just wanted to mention that, at some point, I'm going to go back through the older chapters and take out all the A/Ns I left that concern myself and the lateness of various chapters. They take away from the story too much and don't matter. I'm also considering revising some of the older chapters, as sometimes they're not as well-written as these later chapters. It's NeverLove's work, though, so I'd like to ask for your opinion first. Lemme know what y'all think.

xoxo, purpleheart3000


	105. Chapter 105

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 105**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

"Morgan's Self Remedy"

Reddened eyes shone in the reflection, begging me to look away. I could only stare. My hair was twisted into a mess of yellow. My once blue eyes had dimmed down to grey. My lips were pale and seemed rather swollen. I wondered if I'd really cried that much.

Night had enveloped the base. I glanced over from my sitting position to my "guard". Kakuzu sat in a chair with crossed arms as if to guard from being awoken. His eyelids were pressed together in that sleep, his chin resting on his chest as he slumped into himself.

I glanced back down with those same tired eyes to the mirror I'd managed to steal from the bedside table without waking my guard. To my disdain, all I saw was a television romcom girl. I hated those. All they could do was cry. All they knew was the world of men and lies. I felt like I had been turned into one of those weaklings.

I closed my eyes and placed the mirror face down on the table. I did not like that image. I ran my fingers through the other objects in the drawer I had opened. I found my ring stored away. I rolled it around between my fingers, thinking.

Itachi was gone. He was going after Sasuke. I wasn't sure if he was planning on dying or if he was going for another reason. I didn't know what he was thinking or what he had been planning before then… but he was gone. That was a simple fact.

Another fact was my current state. My face was a mess. My world was a wreck. The reason: heartbreak. My way of dealing with it was horrible. I was crying and giving up. I was so tired of trying. I could give up now. He was gone. I was here. I could just give it all away and leave it.

I pressed the cold metal to my lips and felt a small smile cross my lips. A memory of a dream pranced through my mind. I pulled my legs up to my chest and examined the ring above my knees. I felt my spirit perk. It wasn't like I had to be like this, it wasn't like I had to be so sad.

I felt a lift in the sorrow and grinned happily. Itachi could come back. It could be a long time. It might only be a short time. I didn't have to mourn over something I wasn't even sure of. I decided then and there that I wouldn't live like this. I wouldn't be a television girl. I was going to be me. I was going to wait and believe. Itachi would come back. I would wait forever if I had to. I was not going to EVER give up EVER again. Giving up was so stupid it wasn't even funny.

I stood from the bed and walked easily into the bathroom. Warm water soothed my hurt muscles and the soap oozed over my wounds, cleaning them. I slipped out of the water and dressed in a clean outfit from the closet. A brush pulled through my hair, finally tackling the tangles. I grabbed a hairband and yanked it through the hair and into a ponytail. Two strands of curls fell out, hanging down on each side of my face.

I touched the chakra collar and walked back outside. Kakuzu had fallen out of his chair and was snoring like no tomorrow. I smiled at him and walked out of the room and into the hallway. So this was the base in daylight… I hadn't really seen it in my condition. I walked as quietly as I could into the living room and from there to the kitchen.

I could hear Kakuzu waking up in my room, but managed to get relaxed on the couch before he shouted for me. I pressed a button on the TV remote and pulled my knees up to my chest as I flipped through the channels. I got into a comfortable position and waited. It took exactly three minutes, twenty nine seconds, and three milliseconds for the others to all arrive at the exact same moment.

Nine conversations shot up at once. Kakuzu's was a loud roar for me to "Stay the heck in bed!". Madi's was along the lines of "WHOA I LOVE THIS SHOW!" Kisame just stared as I smiled at him. Konan demanded to know when I took a shower. Hidan was just shouting random cuss words at me for being up. Pein leaned on the wall and watched the commotion.

I stood, ignoring the shouts, and walked over to Leader. "I am FINE. I can do what you need me to. There isn't any need to keep me in that bed." Pein looked to the others, and they all slunk away to eavesdrop from the hallways. I glanced at their shadows and grinned. They were so predictable.

Pein stared at me for a moment. "You know your predicament. The more you move, the worse you get." I shrugged. "And without chakra, I will die slowly anyway. There isn't a cure for me without MY chakra. I would rather live the way I want for a short time than live on that bed and let my life be lived for me."

Pein nodded hesitantly before jerking away from the wall tensely. "We cannot remove that collar. You are only rushing to your death. You do realize what death is, correct?" I winked at him and replied easily, "I am EXPECTING it. Of course I realize what it is. I just want the chance to do what I love before I go."

He seemed shocked at my attitude, unable to form words for a few seconds. "Have you already gotten over it?!" I looked him in the eyes, trying to convey my determination. "I am me. I don't want to be sad and lonely like I was. So I decided not to be. That's all." Pein looked away, and I saw the pain buried in his eyes. He knew something I didn't. He opened his mouth but never spoke.

Madi walked in the room suddenly. "You can't do that! What will we do without you here?! You have to stay as long as possible!" I frowned and look back to Pein as Kisame lead the pleading Madi away. Pein took a breath before looking up at me. "Kakuzu did the math for us. if you move like you are now… your life expectancy is less than a year."

I giggled. "I get a whole year! That is way better than I hoped!" Pein looked away again and I fell silent, smiling comfortingly. "I did the math, too. I know my time. And I want the next ten months to be perfect." His head whipped back up to glare at me. "Explain." I walked to the center of the room and shouted so the other could hear me. "I want everyone back to normal! I want my messed up family back!"

Pein let out a sigh and smiled. "I cannot disagree when you seem so certain." I laughed and the other members entered, shocked. I smiled to them. "The Akatsuki is back in business!" No one moved. They were still frozen. I nodded and ignored their shocked expressions, skipping back to my room.

-!-

Pein watched as Morgan disappeared down the hall before closing his eyes. "You all heard her. This is what she wants. We can't be selfish. None of us would want to stay in that room the rest of our lives, and she doesn't want to either. Missions will be assigned again as usual. Kisame… your new mission-"

Kisame answered before he could finish. "I am going after Itachi." Pein nodded and Kisame sighed. "I will do my very best." He turned, grabbing Samehada from where it was resting, and walked out of the base.

The others all looked to Pein. He smirked. "It seems as though I don't have any other missions set up as of yet." They glanced to Morgan's room. "She wants normal. Treat this as if we were all back at the first base." Everyone smiled painfully in memory. Pein sighed. "Though preferably with less of the déjà vu this time. I don't think we can survive another pasta incident." Everyone chuckled and Madi demanded an answer. Everyone ignored her and walked away.

Madi was irritated. "What was the pasta incident? Guys? Hey, come on and tell me! Guys!" She chased after the others, shouting for them. Kakuzu made his way quietly back to Morgan's room.

-!-

Skies the shade of dark, inky black shadowed the earth. Storm clouds threatened, but no rain seemed to want to fall. Silence reigned over the world. Not a sound was made. Not a breath moved the air. Not a single footstep could be heard through the forest. Shuriken flew in silence, death never shattering the silence.

People fell like flies, but not even the sound of their bodies on earth made a difference. Such was the coldness of the technique being used. Silent deaths occurred without a word, a breath, a grunt, or whisper. Blood spilled without effort.

Itachi landed on the ground with one knee pressed into the powder-like dirt. His right arm was extended beside him as ten men fell from the trees behind him to the ground. He left arm slid a katana back into place. His sharingan eyes reached up to the sky as he scoured the area for other enemies. Finding none, he straightened his back and walked on. Just behind him a single bolt of lightning could be seen, but there was no rain or thunder, only the color of the sky and the streak of light mixed with the searing red of sharingan.

Without missing a beat he walked on. His shoes left and met ground again and again. Nothing was spared from his gaze. No man was alive, no woman breathed. This was the infamous Itachi Uchiha acting as the world thought of him. Here he was, acting the lie.

He continued on through the silent forest. Even though the stream of water here was quiet, it seemed deafening. Itachi never ceased moving. His movements graced the eyes of the living for only a moment before they fell. N jerks or pauses, he moved without thinking. He moved without NEEDING to think. His mind was naught but one thought.

Silent lightning was seen once more. Bodies of unsuspecting others fell. The last thing they see- dark chocolate skies, white light, red orbs, and impossible grace, the master of silence in his realm. Not even Anbu of the highest training could move the world around him to mimic his own style.

No other ninja could silence the land as Itachi could. He had done this in Konoha. No sound had been made, except for the ones made by his brother. He stopped moving and stiffened his back. The katana was unsheathed as movement ceased.

Itachi's red orbs tightened and slid downwards, no emotion breaking his mask. A single strike of silent lightning flashed ahead of him and lit the world on fire. Itachi felt a spike of adrenaline zap through his body and into his soul.

Sasuke Uchiha was silhouetted in the flash of lightning. His black eyes measured his elder brother. A single hand was perched on his hip, the other lifted to the katana at his back. Both watched the other. No new movements were made… until…

Sasuke smirked, letting it grow over his face into an almost cruel one. "Welcome, _brother_." And a roar of thunder echoed over the land as the lightning flashed again. Wind roared. Trees groaned. Silence's hold was broken in their forest.

Ending theme songs: Fences by Paramore and Hishoku no Sora by Kawada Mami


	106. Chapter 106

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 106**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

"The Fight of Siblings"

Sasuke smirked, letting it grow over his face into an almost cruel one. "Welcome, _brother_." And a roar of thunder echoed over the land as the lightning flashed again. Wind roared. Trees groaned. Silence's hold was broken in their forest.

Itachi waited until the sound died down enough to speak. "How could you, Sasuke?!" he demanded. Sasuke resumed his emotionless face as he answered, "I suppose you mean Morgan." Itachi glared at his younger brother. How the two had swapped from their original positions was mind blowing to both of them.

Itachi made no attempt to hide his fury from his face or voice. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF MISERABLE PAIN SHE IS GOING THROUGH?! THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT HER!" Sasuke sighed. "You really are quite emotional over her. What brought this around?" Itachi glared red sharingan at him in pain. "Sasuke… You don't have any idea what you have done! You have no clue how many people you have hurt through this. Not only Morgan and I, but many others. EVERYONE she knows is affected by this."

Sasuke smirked. "How many allies could she possibly have?" Itachi answered with venom, "The ENTIRE Akatsuki would give their lives for her. ALL of Konoha would spill their own blood as if she was one of their own. Even SUNA would help her in her time of need. Can you kill them all, Sasuke?! Can you kill everyone? Are you willing to go far beyond me for your revenge?! Even if you kill me here, even if I die here, if she dies after… if she dies because of this… the Akatsuki will make absolutely sure that you are killed."

Sasuke let an eyebrow rise. "Is she so loved as that? I wonder… by leaving her with Akatsuki, is that your best move? If so many places would care for her … wouldn't they want her for themselves?" Itachi glared, trembling slightly in frustration. "You have no idea what you have done, _brother_."

Sasuke pulled his katana a little further from its sheath. "I do believe I know EXACTLY what I've done. I've taken something dear to you as you did to me." Itachi felt his face contort in pain, barely managing to hide the pang of guilt.

Distracted by Sasuke's words, he nearly failed to draw his own katana in time to fend off Sasuke's. Sasuke moved in a fluid motion behind Itachi, who spun around and kicked at Sasuke's feet. With an easy jump, Sasuke escaped his attack. Katana met katana in mid air, and sparks shot out from the fierce clash of metal.

Disengaging his blade and jumping back, Itachi moved as fast as he could straight at Sasuke. His katana pierced him through the chest and a loud poof sound was heard. Itachi spun around in a defensive position to ready himself.

Sasuke's voice could be heard emanating from all around the forest. "Morgan told me several unusual things about you, Itachi. She never seemed to give up on you either. I wonder… did you even tell her goodbye? Did you ever tell her that you loved her since you found her? I bet you didn't. I bet you never loved her enough. I bet you don't even know what her love could be. I bet it was all a lie." "SHUT UP!" Itachi screamed, mongekyou sharingan whirling in his eyes. Blood began to leak slightly from the left.

Sasuke chuckled condescendingly. "You are such a moron, brother. I bet she hardly cares that you left. I bet she's still waiting for you like an obedient little puppy. My bet is that she STILL believes you love her. But you came here for me. You didn't come for her."

Itachi dropped to a knee, holding his head in his hands as he tried to block out the words. Sasuke walked slowly from the shadows until he was standing right behind Itachi. "Well I know everything." The katana sliced downward.

-!-

The conversation in the kitchen halted abruptly as she stepped inside. Eyes of all colors flickered to and away from her blue ones. She smiled innocently. "Did I interrupt something?" Everyone looked guilty and she laughed. "So it was about me. Well, please continue. It's not like I don't hear it all from my room anyway." Everyone yet AGAIN looked guilty. She only smiled.

"We were discussing what was going to happen to you…" Deidara started to explain, She replied casually as she sat on top of the table, "I am going to die." Eyes twitched and flinched around her. She grinned and added, "I am going to die and leave. No big deal." From the reactions, no one agreed.

She sighed. Deidara glared and planted both hands on the table next to her. "Do you have ANY idea what you are SAYING?!" She nodded. "Of course I know. I am only stating the obvious. Now please continue. What were you saying about my dying?" Konan walked up to her hesitantly. "We were discussing if we could force you to stay in bed and… last longer." Morgan's eyes flashed in anger. "No way. I would rather die on my feet right here."

Madi tried to look angry, but her voice shook as she spoke. "This isn't fair!" Morgan giggled and shrugged, which seemed to shock the others. "I'm going to think of it as another adventure." Kakuzu's thin control on his temper snapped. "ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE US UP? ARE YOU WILLING TO LEAVE ITACHI SO SOON?!" She flinched and let her gaze fall, the smile faltering for a moment. Her eyes seemed to fade slightly.

It took a total of thirty seconds for her system to reboot. She looked firmly at Kakuzu. "No. I am not READY to die. I don't WANT to die. I am not looking FORWARD to dying. I am only ACCEPTING what cannot be changed like this." Kakuzu tried to argue, but couldn't think of an answer. No one could. She grinned. "Welcome to my world." She hopped off the table and walked out of the room.

Everyone quietly looked at each other sadly. She pretended not to notice and kept walking.

… … …

Nothing came to my mind as I walked into my room. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall as I pressed my back to the door and slid to the floor. My fingers touched my eyes and I wondered aloud, "Why am I still crying? Why won't they just stop falling? What is wrong with me?" I wrapped my arms around myself and cried. My knees hugged up to my chest and my arms draped around them. I tipped and fell to my side. I let myself cry it all out. I was so sick of crying.

-!-

Kisame darted through the trees as he followed Itachi's extremely faint chakra trail. His feet hit the tree bark as he jumped along as fast as he could. Rain had begun to fall. The storm was moving in the same direction that he was. There wasn't much hope of getting out of it, so he kept running. Itachi had to be ahead somewhere… He glanced back over his shoulder in the general direction of the base.

Morgan was waiting there. She was only going to get worse and worse. The fact was that even if she could move all she wanted for a time, if she moved the way she had lately, the amount of time she COULD move was only going to be around a month. The other nine months would be spent spiraling down through unconsciousness into death. Morgan was moving so she could only live a short time being able to do so. And anything else could change. An accident could hurt her and shave off more precious time. Itachi had to be there when it happened. Time was running out.

And so he ran on all the faster.

-!-

The meeting had proceeded mostly as usual. Though some things were obviously disagreed upon, no one spoke of them for a long time. It was Madi who broke the depressing charade first. She marched angrily to the center of the room and shouted, "This is insane! There is something more important going on! What are we going to do about Morgan?!"

Deidara growled and stalked furiously over to her. "I wish you would just shut your mouth! You have NO idea what WE are feeling! YOU are taking HER spot! IF YOU WERE NOT HERE, MORGAN WOULD BE STANDING RIGHT HERE TALKING TO US!"

Madi took a step back and looked down. "I-I-… I'm sorry…" Tobi pressed a hand to Deidara's shoulder. "Don't be upset, Dei-chan! Madi didn't mean to do anything!" Deidara made a rude sound and turned away from the girl. Madi's head drooped.

Pein sighed and addressed the room monotonously. "Morgan wanted us to continue as if things were normal. We will do that. And so I have a mission for Kakuzu and Hidan." Both looked shocked, particularly Kakuzu. "I am Morgan's physician! I can't go anywhere!" he barked. Pein glared at his subordinate. "Zetsu can deal with her for a time." Kakuzu looked annoyed."… Fine."

Pein nodded to the other members. "That is all. Dismissed." Everyone moved to leave the room, save for one. Madi stared at her feet. Her shoulders quaked and she seemed about to lose it. Deidara paused in the doorway when he noticed. He glanced back to the door and let the others leave first. He closed the door gently behind them and turned back to the girl.

Madi looked up to him with unshed tears in her eyes. "What is it? Do you want to gloat more?! I know she is like this because of me! I know this is entirely my fault! I KNOW she is going to DIE because of me!" She fell to her knees and began to wail. Deidara moved forward cautiously and knelt in front of her. "This… is not your fault. Morgan… Morgan knows what is going to happen to her. We all know. She is ready for it. I hate to say it, but she won't last very long even now…"

Madi's eyes whipped up hopefully at him. "She will be okay for 10 months, right?" Deidara shook his head slowly. "That is her life expectancy. She will only be able to walk like this for another few weeks. After that… she will loose her body and her emotional state, followed by her state of mind… and then her life."

Madi covered her eyes with a shaking hand. "T-This isn't f-f-fair…" Deidara pressed a hand to her shoulder. "Life is never fair." Madi began to cry.

-!-

After a moment, he knocked on Morgan's door. "Hidan and I have a mission. We will be back soon." No sound came from the room so he turned and left the base.

… … …

I listened as Kakuzu's steps faded into the distance. My eyes closed and I waited. "You want a word with me?" I whispered. I could imagine the person in front of me nodding. So my ninja senses still worked even without chakra. I smiled and opened my eyes, looking at the man in front of me. "Well then… let's talk."

His eyes watched me with spite in them so deep I couldn't tear my eyes away. "I am listening, Madara."

End song: Extraordinary Girl by Green Day


	107. Chapter 107

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 107**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Two brothers. Two hatreds. Hundreds of different reasons. One fight. One goal.

Katana flash. Eyes move. Breath catches in throats. Metal presses to skin. Blood flows in streams of brilliant red. Pain etches on expressions. Two brothers. Two hatreds. Hundreds of different reasons. One fight. One goal.

Itachi looked up and into the eyes of his younger brother. Sasuke looked down to his elder. Sharingan stared into sharingan as the two watched each other. Sasuke's katana easily sliced across Itachi's right shoulder before sliding down and into the dirt. Itachi's eyes closed a moment and he wavered.

Sasuke blinked and asked, "How?" Itachi, standing confidently before him, smirked. "You don't know all of my tricks." A clone of Itachi stood behind Sasuke with his original katana pressed to the teen's neck. A trickle of blood slowly trailed down Sasuke's collar bone. Both Uchihas watched the other in silence. No one moved. No one breathed.

It took what seemed like an eternity of soft breathing and winding thoughts for Sasuke to break the silence. "You aren't going to kill me are you, Itachi?" It was more of a statement than a question. The elder Uchiha let a smile full of pain carry over his face. His eyes closed but his clone remained in place.

Sasuke moved his face to let his hair fall in front of his eyes, hiding them. A smirk played on his lips. And then, to Itachi's shock, he…

-!-

I remained on the ground as I looked up and into the hole in Tobi's mask. I smiled at him and asked, "You wish to speak to me… Madara?" Madara lifted a hand to me, which I took. He pulled me to my feet and lended me his shoulder as he lead me to the bed and sat me down.

I took a few rough breaths and held my stomach tightly. Madara watched for a moment. His hand rose to his mask, as if to remove it, but he hesitated. He looked to the door and disappears a moment only to return after he had locked it. I waited patiently.

Finally, his head turned to me. "You know my topic then, I suppose?" I nodded and he sighed. "I expected as much." I grinned. "You start, then." He nodded "You are going to die." "I knew that a long time ago." He sighed. "When you die… people are not going to take it very well." I frowned. "They'll survive without me." Madara chuckled. "Itachi won't." I frowned more deeply.

His eye narrowed as he watched my face carefully. "What I want to know… is what am I allowed to do with you when you die." I sighed and leaned my face on one hand. "If I'm dead, does it matter?" He smirked. "So then, I am allowed to use a Reanimation jutsu on you?" I frowned and closed my eyes. "Denied." He crossed his arms, exasperated. "So difficult…"

I giggled before getting serious. "Burn me, bury me, do what you want. I don't care. Just don't let Zetsu eat me." He chuckled at that. I smiled. "You have your answer now." "What do you want me to do about the others?" "Whatever you want," I repeated. "I'll be dead."

Madara cocked his head to the side. I imagined him raising an eyebrow. "You sure are optimistic about dying." I smirked. "I am only optimistic for other's sakes. I'm scared to death of dying." Madara leaned forward and touched my shoulder. "I feel for you. But there really are things we can do to treat you. I could-" I stopped him with a raised hand. "No one is to die to save me. That would defeat the purpose entirely."

He stood and pressed a gloved hand to my upper arm, looking torn. "If… I… If you… disappeared…" I glared. "Madara, promise me you will never do that." He sighed. "It's a promise, then." We nodded and he left at last.

I closed my eyes after the door closed. No one knew my thoughts. No one knew what I was thinking. No one understood completely. But I couldn't help but think of all the options. I smiled, my hair falling in front of my eyes. I felt the grin on my face widen into a smirk.

I moved from my bed and headed down the hall. No one followed me. No one seemed to think anything of me simply walking through the halls. No one could read my mind to tell what I was thinking. No one could really hear my thoughts. No one here could listen to them. They were mine.

I stepped into the air and looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath. I felt pain briefly flicker through my body. I closed my eyes and climbed as best I could on top of the base. I stood and held my stomach tightly. I let my eyes close and the wind rushed through my hair. A smile of momentary comfort spread over my lips.

I moved back and into a crevasse where I couldn't really be found without searching. I let the light rain, which had been flooding the country lately, fall on me. The water dampened my hair and I pushed it back and out of my face. No one was searching. They thought I was in my room or something. But I was here.

I smiled and let myself think on the harder things now. Of course there was the fact that I was going to die. It was a horrible thought. I wondered if I was suicidal for saying I accepted it so often. But I couldn't DO anything. I didn't know the code to my collar. I didn't know how to escape. I was trapped. Think about it. Consider that you were told you had months to live… consider the weight of my horrible reality.

I pressed my fingers to my stomach and closed my eyes, losing myself. I then moved my thoughts to Itachi. He had gone after Sasuke. I wondered for a moment if he was okay. I wondered if he had already given his life to Sasuke. That was his original plan. Did he think I was going to die and wanted to go before the pain got worse? Did he even feel bad for me? I wallowed in my dark thoughts.

I was so sick of crying. I'd said it before, and I'd say it again now. I wouldn't let another tear roll over my cheeks. I wouldn't let sadness rule over me. I was my own person, and even if my heart were broken… even if I was going to die… even if I would never see my real family ever again… I would not let it rule over me. I had to survive. I had to prosper. I didn't have long left to do so.

I opened my eyes and stood. I heard Deidara shout from the side of the roof. "What are you doing up there?! What if you get struck by lightning?" I sighed and moved to jump down.

I don't know if it was an effect of fright or what… but all at once everything seemed to move in slow motion.

My foot had hit a mossy spot on the roof, slick from the rain. My foot slipped out from under me and I sprawled face first off of the roof and into a set of shrubs. You would think that they would break my fall… but no.

… … …

I stared in shock as she fell. I don't know why I never moved to catch her. Maybe because I'd so rarely seen her so weak, I'd expected her to turn around and fall on her feet. As her body hit the shrubs, I snapped out of shock and rushed to her. She was lying on her stomach, her hair spread around her head like a fan. I felt another wave of sick horror in my stomach. I gulped back vomit and screamed, "ZETSU!"

The entire base was outside in a moment. Madi screamed. Konan rushed to move her but Pein's arm barred the way. Zetsu knelt in front of her and began to move his hands over her. Madi screamed as Zetsu moved to touch 'it'. "DON'T! YOU CAN'T TOUCH HER LIKE THAT!" Zetsu turned and growled. "If I don't bandage her correctly, she will bleed to death right here!"

We could only stare at the stick poking through the lower right section of her stomach and out from her back. Blood surrounded her, painting the grass and bush red like a warning for poison. No eye could move. No person could escape this horror. An accident like this… and with her old wound…

All of the horrors hit as Zetsu stood quickly and turned to us. "We need to hurry… she's in critical condition."

-!-

Kisame sloshed through the water as best he could on the empty field. The water was up past his ankles and was beginning to slow him down. He began to run on top and picked up speed again. A fizzing pain passed through his hand and he gaped down as a message blared through his mind from the ring. He stopped and lost control of his chakra before face planting in the water.

He jumped up and resumed running, faster this time. Morgan was in critical condition. He cursed and pushed himself faster. He HAD to find Itachi! He was probably fighting Sasuke, what if he had taken off his ring to ensure silence… He wouldn't know! Morgan was going to die and he wasn't going to be there!

-!-

The zombie combo froze and stared down at their rings. Hidan glanced up to Kakuzu, who dropped the bounty where he stood and took off in the direction of the base. Hidan lurched after him and the two began to move in sync.

Hidan cursed. "You should have been there!" Kakuzu looked away. "I know…" Both glared at the coming rain as it began to pelt on them and make their cloths even darker. They didn't pause. They couldn't afford to pause. They moved on. Without Kakuzu there… Morgan's chances of survival were close to gone. Zetsu could only do so much.

They skidded through puddles and ran over lakes as they sped faster and faster without a single word or complaint. Neither really thought much about anything. They were focusing on the messages Pein was sending them through their rings. Kakuzu growled, eyes widening in horror. "The idiot did WHAT?!" Hidan cursed. "Morgan is a lunatic!" They both cursed at her stupidity and sped up. She was losing blood and Zetsu could not remove the impaled object so easily.

-!-

It's black. My light is gone. I whirl in my mind and swirl in the color of shadow. I feel dizzy and yet unmoving. My feet feel higher than my head. My life seems on its ends. I grasp for something and find it. I refuse to let go. I refuse to just drift. I feel the same sensation keep a tight grasp on me. I feel sick. I feel crazed.

My mind cannot really think, so I focus on one thing. I focus on a face. I focus on Itachi's face. It moves and looks at me from every angle. I smile even in this pain and confusion and hold tight to all I have left that connects me to him. I hold tight to my only grip on reality.

-!-

Zetsu closed his eyes. "She is not doing well at all…" Madi, sitting by the bed and holding Morgan's hand, looked up in shock. "Is she in coma?!" Zetsu shook his head. "This is not coma, she is merely unconscious… but she is very close to a comatose state of mind." Madi looked down at her friend's pale face. "Morgan…"

Deidara paced the length of the room, distraught. "Why didn't I try and catch her?! What was I thinking?!" Konan pressed a hand to his shoulder comfortingly, though her eyes were heavy with sorrow. "It wasn't your fault… we can only hope for the best." Everyone in the room nodded. And they all hoped like mad that Kakuzu could get here as soon as possible.

End song: Storm by Life House


	108. Chapter 108

~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~

Chapter 108

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi VS Sasuke Finale

Thoughts whirled in the tense silence. Sasuke kept his face tilted down as a firm smirk crossed over his lips. Itachi's blazing eyes waited for a reaction, a movement, anything. Shock ran through him as Sasuke slowly pulled his katana from the ground. He kept his face down where Itachi couldn't see his eyes.

Sasuke was in the perfect position. He knew Itachi was not going to move against him. Sasuke knew that, with one quick motion, he could end Itachi right then and there. He could win. He was meant to win. Sasuke smirked and moved his face to reveal the smirk on his face. "Let's leave this at a tie."

Sasuke turned away and walked casually to a branch on a low hanging tree. With as much grace as the elder Uchiha, Sasuke cleaned his blade on the leaves there. Itachi only watched in muted shock. "… What?" Sasuke paused, his blade halfway back in it's sheath. "Don't think I don't know why you came."

Itachi froze. Sasuke slid his katana fully back into its correct place. He kept his back to Itachi. "You could have killed me just as I could have killed you. I call that a tie. We will leave this matter here." Itachi moved and paused as pain shot through his arm. He grunted and tried to ignore it, stepping forward in frustration. "I don't understand!" he growled. "You hate me! Why won't you kill me?"

Sasuke took a deep breath and turned. Itachi's eyes widen. Sasuke looked taken aback by his statement. His face morphed back into its expressionless mask, but he couldn't hide the sorrow in his eyes. "Morgan told me everything. I understand it now… I never wanted to believe that all of this time has been a waste. I don't want to admit that I fell for a lie… but I did."

Itachi was speechless. "You… don't… hate me?" Sasuke blinked slowly. "Not as much as I used to." He sighed. "But I would still love to wring your neck and make you scream for death." Itachi stepped forward again and demanded, "THEN KILL ME!" Sasuke's eyebrow rose. "There is a time and a place. I know for a fact that this is not it." Itachi glared. "Sasuke…"

Sasuke smirked. "Remember this, because I will not be repeating myself. Three, nineteen, twelve, six, forty-four." He turned from Itachi. A desperate voice shouted, "SASUKE!" The boy stopped and chuckled. "Make sure to take care of her. I don't think that there are that many girls who can take your abuse. Remember that code. She'll need it soon." And the boy disappeared.

Itachi froze One knee thudded to the earth. One hand clutched his shoulder. A breath caught in a throat. Everything was still. Silence pounded on deaf ears. Loneliness battled with pain. His mind reeled through everything, from his first attack against Sasuke in Konoha to the ice in Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke was different. He was not the ice of hatred. He was not the body without soul Itachi had expected. Sasuke had changed. The reason? Morgan. Sasuke no longer hated Itachi. No matter what Itachi had done… Sasuke forgave him. It was all he could comprehend as he swayed, barely staying upright.

It was a miracle, a triumph from his brother he had never expected. And yet… even as this weight lifted from his shoulders, another, even greater one was replaced. Morgan was dying. He managed to stand fully and hold his torn shoulder in place.

The first drops of rain found him as he stood there. His once red eyes dimmed to black. His hand fell from his shoulder and he stared at his feet. He still couldn't process it. All the time… all this time, he was with Sasuke… all this time he had run away from Morgan. Throughout everything, he'd been so selfish.

In the desire of not being left alone… In the desire to never have to go through what he put on himself once… he'd wanted to die before his time. Now he knew the life saving code. Now everything would be fine. Everything would turn out perfectly fine. Morgan would heal and he could hold her in his arms and tell her how he felt, how sorry he was.

Weight hit his side so hard that the tree he flew into was pulverized into splinters. Dust rose up even in the rain and clouded the Uchiha's senses. He tried to disperse it but his mind was not in a state to function as a ninja needed. Powerful arms lifted the man from the rubble and threw him from it and across the newly wet rock.

Itachi opened a single eye at his attacker. Kisame met him with a glare and a snarl. The look of anger and hatred stayed on Kisame's face before retreating to only in his eyes. Words flew from the man's mouth without end. In every language known to mankind, Itachi was cursed and attacked. Muscle pulled the Uchiha to his feet and eyes dared him to not even breathe until the verbal attack was over.

Itachi was beaten around until Kisame had had his fill. He could only snarl "BAKA!" one last time before calming down to the state better known as his usual mood. The man took a deep breath and reached inside Itachi's pocket. He held his hand in Itachi's face, tilting the ring so it glinted in the low light. Itachi's eyes widened. Kisame's lip curled in distaste. "Take the damn ring and see what you've run out on!"

Itachi's fingers brushed the ring and everything came flying at him at once. He saw the fall. He saw the blood. He saw the crumpled form of Morgan in the brush. His heart raced. In a single second, his heart broke into a million pieces.

Itachi cursed frantically. "Kakuzu is too far away." His wide eyes filled with shock and agony. "No one knows what to do… Morgan… will… Morgan will…" Kisame clenched his fists and looked his friend squarely in the eye.

"She is going to die, Itachi."

I often wonder if his world completely froze just then. I wonder what went through his thick skull. I contemplate all the thoughts he registered. But even if I, as an author, cannot tell you all the shock and pain he felt, there was one thought I am for sure and utterly definite that he did think. And that was to repeat Sasuke's password in his mind.

It was then that he began to run. At that moment nothing mattered. Even if Sasuke was going a million miles in the opposite direction, even if there wasn't any hope in finding Morgan before time ran out… He had to run. It was all he could do… run, and repeat that damn, life saving, dismal code. It was all he was able to do as his heart pumped through his dreading and shaking chest.

-!-

It's strange how this black can be replaced by color so quickly. So quickly was it changed, in fact, that I never took notice of it until I was swimming in it. They rushed by me until I was at last able to focus on them. I rode in the car with my parents. My headphones blare in my ears. I listen intently as the words come forward and consume my vision.

I whisper the words to myself. How long have I been in this storm? So over whelmed by the oceans… She blares forward… Water's getting harder to tread… With these waves crashing over my head… I smile at the lyrics. Was my life always such a sad story?

My mother turns to me in the car and shouts for me to turn the music down. I follow orders and let the music fade just low enough for only I to hear. I slowly lift my phone from my pocket and open it with a soft snap. Drew's name sparkled as the phone vibrated.

"Merely surviving has become my purpose…" I text him wearily as we pull into the parking lot to my soccer game. So this was really a while back indeed… I don't know why I felt so calm looking down at myself as I was.

My vision changed, but the same song played again and again like a re-run. I stand in front of my window as I watch the rain fall. The TV wearily shakes its bouncing actors in my side view. A frown is placed on my lips and I close my eyes. I whisper the lyrics to myself.

The vision warps so strangely that I realize I was just shoved into the manga. I watch as I meet the Akatsuki all over again. I laugh as the visions change and remind me of the times. I watch all the pictures taken. I remember all of the places I wanted to put one of those damn letters. I cannot help but realize something.

This world… it was so much wilder than my old. My old was routine. This world was full of sorrow, pain, agony, tears, screams, whines, whimpers, fright, anger, sadness, loneliness, and panic. But at the same time the bad was overloaded by the good. There was laughter, friendship, learning, love, jokes, teasing, memories, companionship, adventure, new beginnings, new stories, thousands of mysteries, nothing to be called routine, games, fun, and so many others I cannot list the words in a lifetime.

It was during all of this that I realized all the things I still wanted to do. I wanted to run as fast as ever. I wanted to dance and laugh and sing. My heart begged to love. My eyes begged to gather new memories to pass into its chambers. I wished for pain. I wished for chilling horror. I wanted adventure. I crazed adrenaline. I wanted the life I had now. I didn't want to die! I don't want to die yet! There are so many things I want to try!

I close my eyes and the colors fade. At least the memories were over now. All that was left was dizzy spinning and confusion. Where was the exit? Was I ever going to get out? Where was the handle I had used before to keep from floating? Did I let go? Where was I going?

I let my mind and body float as I wonder all of these things. And I wish… I wish harder than I have ever wished before… I wished to live. I wished to go HOME. I wished to go back to my really messed up family… Akatsuki… a name as warm as fire… and as comforting as well… as they were. My family… I so wanted to go home to them all… I just had to find a door.

-!-

I stared down through my mask at the face beneath the oxygen mask. Zetsu had performed a surgery as best he could and gotten the stick and all fragments out of her system. The girl would not live to see another day. Her eyes were going to stay shut. Her mind was going to drift into death as easily as it fell asleep at night.

I remembered what she had said and shook it from my mind. This was going to make things much easier on us all. I placed my hand just below her life-giving oxygen mask. Without that oxygen, her lungs would collapse. My sharingan eye worked its way over her body to her face, so relaxed in sleep that she seemed as though to wake any moment. I pulled my fingers under her mask and began to lift it away.

I stopped a moment. I reached up and moved my own mask halfway from my face and lowered my lips to her right ear. My face remained blocked from the doorway as I continued to remove the mask. My lips moved and touched her ear as I whispered to her. "No one will ever know. Let me end your pain. Slip away now, girl. Slip away and leave this world. Goodbye, Morgan…"

And my relentless bare fingers finally twitched upwards in a slow and deliberate manner as a small and satisfied smirk spread over my pale lips without another word of goodbye.

-End songs-

Storm by Life House

(AKA: The song from the dream)

Hishoku no Sora by Kawada Mami


	109. Chapter 109

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 109**

Theme song: Comatose by Skillet

His fingers slowly lifted the cup of life giving oxygen from her mouth. His mask hid his face from the door but left it open to clearly see Morgan. He breathed in her aroma as he kept his face beside her ear. His breath halted suddenly as he sensed something.

The door flew open and he flinched slightly. His eyes glanced to Morgan's face before he quickly pulled the mask back into place. His fingers remained precariously curled around the mask, halfway lifted. A scream of horror and anger roared at him, "BASTARD!"

Konan swung forward and moved to face him down. "No! You made a deal, Madara! You promised! I won't let you break it!" His fingers froze, holding the mask. He chuckled. "So I'm caught…" Konan glared until the man let the mask fall back in place.

Konan let out a short breath in relief and shoved herself between the man and the girl. Madara backed away, his hands held up mockingly in defense. "I have not forgotten any of my promises. I keep them all." Konan glared and crossed her arms. "You were going to break your promise to Morgan and kill her before she was ready." Madara smirked. "I made that with a half-sane person." Konan jabbed a finger harshly into his chest. "You made that with MORGAN. None of us would stay still and watch you murder her!"

He chuckled again and moved towards the door. "Everyone is so lenient with Morgan. Before her, you would have all jumped at the chance of killing one another." "Get. Out," she spat through gritted teeth. Madara stared at her for a moment before casually exiting the room with a click of a door.

Konan turned back to the resting girl and felt her shoulders shake. "Dammit, Morgan… We're falling apart. You have to wake up… You have to survive this! You cannot die yet! Please hold on. I don't know how, and I can't tell you how… But if you can find a way, if you can hold on until Kakuzu gets here, maybe you have a chance… Come on Morgan… Please wake up…"

She waited and watched the pale face and disheveled hair. She almost expected the girl to open her eyes. It never happened. Konan gripped her hands into fists and turned from the room in a flurry of cloak, paper, and blue hair… and maybe even a tear or two.

-!-

Thirteen miles from the base, they were moving as fast as they could. Feet never seemed to touch ground for more than a few seconds. Short breaths were beginning to catch in supposedly immortal throats. Hidan's mind constantly screamed the fact that all of this could have been avoided.

There were so many things that could have gone differently and moved so much more smoothly. Morgan could have gotten paired up with Itachi and never lost to Orochimaru in the first place. Someone could have checked that base first and saved her before her she basically ripped in two at her stomach. Itachi could have stayed and Morgan would have lasted longer. Deidara could have caught her. Kakuzu and Hidan might have stayed instead of moving on with the mission. He could have made her a Jashinest so she would not die. She could have gotten her body replaced. They could use a reanimation jutsu on her.

So many things could have changed, all of which were either skipped or refused. Hidan choked on his own thoughts and refocused himself on hurtling his body forward faster. Kakuzu was barking instructions now to Pein through the ring. Both were frustrated to know that if they had been there, they could have prevented this.

Kakuzu was shut off from the connection and he growled a quiet curse. He was nearing his temper's breaking point. "She's holding out as best she can. We don't have even a 3% chance of getting there in time, but…" Hidan shouted, partly to himself, as he began to really stretch out his endurance. "If you have the energy to speak, MOVE FASTER!" Kakuzu nodded and sped up.

-!-

Pouring rain splattered water on their cloaks as they flew through the trees. The clouds seemed to have stretched and grown to flow in all directions so none could escape the downpour. Lightning shattered the earth into splinters. Thunder shattered the silence. Coughs and hard intakes of breath shuffled through a dizzy consciousness as Itachi moved.

His shoulder was wounded and only opening up more and more from the movement. Kisame had noticed it a while back and had tied a spare cloth to it to hold off the bleeding. Their top priority was Morgan. They had to move faster.

Itachi whispered the combination through blurry eyes. His sharingan had been sucked dry and his black eyes were feeling the strain of mongekyou. Blood was dried to his face, unnoticed. His mouth hung open in strain as breath after strangled breath was sucked in and forced out.

Feet begged for one more of the twenty miles left. Fingers itched forward to grasp onto the hope of getting there in time. Eyes strained to be able to focus enough to see the next limb to step on. Breaths rattled in and out in desperation to keep moving. Muscles cramped and relaxed in the attempt to move beyond all human ability.

Kisame lunged to the side and caught Itachi as he missed a step. Itachi's arm was tossed over Kisame's shoulder. The Uchiha struggled and found his footing. He yanked away from his partner and shot forward again, only to slip on another branch. He slid to the forest floor and kept running. His feet couldn't move faster no matter how his mind begged. His body was at its limit. There wasn't any chakra left. There wasn't enough muscle to make it three more steps, but he pushed on.

Dizzy and tired. Nineteen more miles. He forced himself to move. He had to reach her. He had to see her. He had to tell her… He had to tell her that he… was…

His feet fell out from under him and he tumbled to his chest in the mud. He lay there and breathed in hard. His muscles refused to lift him. He argued with them and struggled into a position on his hands and knees. Sweat, rain, and tears fell from him, melding as one on the ground.

He lifted his head to the horizon of trees and felt his body shake and convulse. "Morgan…" He cursed and struggled to his feet. "Wait for me… Come on, I'm not too far away now… Wait for me…" Kisame landed beside him and slung Itachi's arm around his shoulders.

Itachi tried to help but only ended up tripping himself. Kisame glared and rolled his eyes. "See what you've done?!" Itachi muttered, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Morgan… I'm so sorry…" Kisame's eyes widened. He saw the endless guilt, the honest pain and desperation. "… I'm sorry Itachi. I doubted you." Itachi moved his weak eyes to Kisame's. "No more words… Please… give me a bit of your chakra."

The shark smirked and let his chakra sink into Itachi's body. Itachi closed his eyes and twitched out from Kisame's hold. He began to move forward again and the two raced forward. Time was so close to running out.

-!-

Pein walked into the living room. Members sat all around the room in the same position. All sat in their respective spots, leaning as far forward as possible. Hands were intertwined and pressed to lips. Eyes were closed in thought and worry. Everyone held the same tired, hopeless expression. It was the expression of acknowledgment. They expected any moment for Zetsu to step into the room and give the worst news.

As Pein stepped in, eyes glanced up and waited. The tired leader sighted. "She is the same." Everyone looked back down to the floor and at their feet. Pein leaned on the wall quietly. "I came to tell you… Itachi is on his way." Every eye widened, and several shouts burst forth at once.

Deidara was the loudest. "WHAT?!" "He's COMING?!" Konan looked shocked and a not a little angry. Madi only looked stunned. Pein managed to speak over them. "Kakuzu and Hidan are close to twelve miles out. Itachi and Kisame are coming from the south with nineteen to go." Everyone seemed to pause their thoughts mid-track.

Madi spoke everyone's thoughts quietly. "Will they get here soon enough…?" Pein's eyes fell. Everyone looked back down for the millionth time that day. "She…" Pein's voice failed and he had to clear his throat. "She doesn't seem to have an hour left without Kakuzu." Everyone froze. Pein managed to state, "When time comes closer… I think we should all be there to send her off. She would like that."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Morgan would have liked that very much. She would love to know that everyone was there for her in the end. Everyone knew it. But no one wanted to watch her last breaths. No one wanted to wait for her to die. No one wanted to see that final sigh of death. No one wanted to see her gone. No one wanted to see their friend die like this. She wasn't meant to die like this, so helpless and unconscious.

Everyone had imagined a long time to spend with her yet. Everyone had waited to see what she was really made of. Everyone had expected years with her and that brilliant smile. It was a startling shock to the core. Those years they had expected were gone. The times they wanted to share… destroyed. The times wasted on waiting for the next time… It was all over. She was going to die.

-!-

Blackness is all around me. That is only a statement. That is only a thing to tell you. I can tell you much more now. Here I can think. Here, all I can do is think. I can give you things I never knew before. I knew things I never thought I would. I saw things I had forgotten that I had seen.

I smile even in this prison of dizzy blackness. My hand has found a grip and locked onto it. I have found a small victory even in this nothingness. So I had found a way to slow my own death… Amazing…

But here was a thought I found utterly awe inspiring. It was something I had read in a book. It said " **No life can live without affecting another. And when that life ends, people change to adapt. It is up to who that person was to change the people around them even after death."** I wonder if this is me. I wonder if I really changed anyone for good. I wonder if I was one of those miraculous people. I suppose, if I really could be one of those people, I could, indeed, be called a miraculous soul. I want to be one of those. If I have to die… I hope I have changed those around me. I hope I have done what I hoped to do. I truly hope I did.

I hope I have left my mark on the people here.

End Songs:

Storm by Life House

Hishoku no Sora by Kawada Mami


	110. Chapter 110

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 110**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

As night settled over the base, things began to shift. Morgan's condition took a step in the wrong direction. She was drugged as Kakuzu commanded through the rings. Deidara was keeping watch at her side. She was not expected to last another hour.

Kakuzu was seven miles away and gaining fast. He wasn't going to make it. It was obvious. Everyone seemed to dread the sunrise. Morgan remained in her sleeping state, not so far from comatose.

And eleven miles away were the struggling Itachi and Kisame. Kisame refused to take the code from Itachi and take off ahead. He knew that if he did that, Itachi would fall over in a ditch somewhere and die.

Everyone was moving, and Morgan was descending. It felt like her hands were slipping from her tentative handhold. Death seemed to breathe in her face and force her chest to rise a few more times. It lay in wait to take her away.

As a favor to a book I've had to read for the last three weeks I shall quote a bit of it. "The Book Thief" was told by none other than Death himself. In his words, "The sky was a dark, lovely shade of chocolate, so dark in fact that it seemed almost black. Miserable rain showered down and soaked everything and everyone in view. I step into the room and sit down beside the worried man at my side. I wait patiently to take her soul up in my arms and carry her away. I consider if she will be a soul who will jump into my arms or cling to a useless body. I wonder for a brief moment if she is child enough to kiss before carrying her away…"

So now you understand her predicament. Even Death is waiting in that room for her. And yet two sets of men dash to save her. One set with medical ninjutsu that could already be too late to save her. Another set was running with the code that could not be handed through the rings.

I am sorry to dash the hopes. If you wish to forget it, fine by me. I am merely giving you the truthful view of something no one wants to hear.

-!-

Time was on their side. Chakra sprayed from Kakuzu's body like invisible lightning as it shoved he and his partner forward. Neither wanted to stop moving for even a second. Morgan was getting worse and worse. Deidara was sending the updates to everyone who wanted them. Morgan was beginning to run a fever again and she was beginning to slip away.

 _ **The base came into view.**_

-!-

 _How can I expect myself to live through this? I cannot. How can I think for a moment that I can be saved? I do not. Who will save me if I could be saved? I cannot say. What will happen to me now? I wish I could say. Everything really has gotten fuzzy. I don't know what to think anymore about myself._

 _I know I want to live. I know that I crave life. I know how much I desire to see my family. No, not the one I was born to. I do miss them, but it is the ones I have collected that I wish dearly to see once more. That is a wish of a dying girl. I want to live. I beg to everything I can for one more chance to see them._

 _I want to breathe. I want to feel that never ending pain of love. I want to laugh. I want to cry. I want to die the right way. I want to die in my loved one's arms. Is that so wrong? Am I so horrible to wish another chance? I know I ask too much. All those lives… all of them like mine. All of them were doomed as I am. What was I that deserved a different ending? I was no different._

 _I wonder if I can cry in this world of the soon-to-be-dead. I wish I could. I wish this agony was enough to pull me through. I wonder if I can do anything but think here. I wish I could feel those things once more. I want to cry, and laugh, and scream, and lose myself in them._

 _Is this what dying is? Is it seeing all of the things you wish you could have done? Is that all it is? Remorse? I don't want that. I want life. I only wish that it wasn't such a ridiculous request. Maybe I could get it then._

-!-

Eyes locked onto me as I skidded into the base's main room. I searched the eyes of the Akatsuki, barely concealing my panic, as they watched me. Tobi lifted a hand and pointed down the hall to the main bedroom. I passed him with a nod and ran down the hall and into the room.

Deidara spotted me and let shock roll over his face. "She's still alive, Kakuzu…" I turned and walked over to the girl, slipping into the habit of work. I moved to save her. I moved at my fastest pace. Her life was in my hands. I had to save her. It was up to me whether Morgan died or lived.

… … …

 _What was THAT?! I curl and release the wall. Something was happening! I feel as if I were falling now. I wanted to scream as I latch out and clutch to the blurry wall as it slides past me. I grip onto it and feel everything swarm around me. My silent thinking was being ruptured by movement._

 _I scream at this new pain and drop into the blackness without anything to grip onto. I felt sick from the movement. I was so dizzy and confused. What was happening to me?! What is this?! How am I going to stop this spinning?! AGH!_

-!-

Itachi didn't slow even as the news of Kakuzu's arrival blared through the rings. Itachi was barely moving even with Kisame's chakra. Mongekyou had strained him. Even if his time for another eclipse of Sharingan was approaching, it was already wearing him out. His disease was in full blast and he truly had nothing left in him.

Kisame was tense, staying close by. "Do you need me to help you?" Itachi glared at him. "Until I die, I will make this on my own! My pain is nothing to what I have inflicted on her! Keep moving!" Labored breaths pounded through his chest as he pushed himself further. The once nineteen miles had lessened to nine miles. Neither was willing to slow.

Every now and then Itachi's katana would be gripped and shoved into the ground ahead, pushing him further along. Every few minutes Kisame would shove more chakra to Itachi to be used as fast as he gave it. Itachi didn't seem to acknowledge it. Kisame knew he appreciated all of it… but there was too much else to worry about.

Itachi shook the rain-slick hair from his eyes. "Eight more miles!" Kisame nodded and pressed a hand to Itachi's back. Itachi's body seized on the chakra and trembled briefly in pain. He shoved the chakra into his feet. Kisame cursed. "Heal your shoulder! It's slowing you down!" Itachi shrugged, wincing as the flesh tore a little further. "I don't need a shoulder to move faster. I need the chakra in my feet." Kisame growled. "YOU ARE LOSING BLOOD, IDIOT!" Itachi snarled in defiance at his long time partner. "STOP TALKING AND MOVE! ONLY WE KNOW THE CODE! ONLY WE CAN GET THERE IF KAKUZU FAILS!"

Kisame let it go for a while and focused on running, though keeping a close eye for any signs of problems. It didn't take long. Itachi was strained to his very limit. He dropped to a knee as his right leg gave out at last. Kisame placed a hand on his shoulder and let his chakra heal the area. Itachi cursed him, but Kisame wasn't having any of it. "Hold still." Itachi was forced into a standing position as Kisame gathered most of his weight, pulling Itachi's arm around his shoulder.

Itachi breathed hard. Kisame gritted his teeth and glared at Itachi's exhausted face. "Hold still and let me run. Gather up your strength so you can move faster in a moment. I can keep us at the same pace long enough for you to rest a moment." Itachi let his tired eyes fall from Kisame's face and hang on the ground as Kisame ran. He let thoughts run through his head. Rain dripped over his face like tears.

Kisame cursed when he saw the light start to leave his eyes. "Come on Itachi! We have to get there soon, remember?!" Itachi jerked back up and smiled slightly before bouncing back out from Kisame's grasp and shooting forward.

Itachi blinked to clear his head. No more thoughts. "No time to slow down! I can move all I need to!" Kisame was impressed at how quickly Itachi had made his body recover. Itachi's last bit of chakra had moved and forced his heart to pump more blood faster and faster to regain lost blood, which replenished his muscles and helped him regain some lost power.

Kisame was forced to exert himself to keep up now. Itachi was a piece of work. Kisame had never seen him work so hard like he was now. He closed his eyes and chuckled. Itachi's eyes rebounded the look of determination that he so rarely found. His mouth was set into a thin line.

The two stepped in time with one another and gained another mile.

-!-

 _I don't know what to think as I tumble in the black. I can't make the shaking dizziness stop. I cannot escape this sensation I was so scared of. I feel myself bang against that invisible black wall and bruise even my spirit in the rattling. I don't feel anything but pain and fright._

 _Where was I?! How can I make this end?! What was happening to me?! That was when it all suddenly stopped. My world crashed down and I feel a hook catch me around the waist and hold me. I grip onto it and let the tears fall. Help me out of here… I don't like this darkness… I don't like this pain and sickness… Make it stop… make it stop… please…_

-!-

Kakuzu stepped into the living room. He met the eyes of every hopeful face. He took a deep breath and prepared to answer their stares. His mind was in turmoil at the thoughts of his fight against Morgan's death.

"So?! What happened?" Deidara demanded anxiously. Kakuzu glanced to him, then to the others. Every ear waited, opened and begging for an answer. Even Madara craved to know if he should have ended her earlier. Even he silently begged to hear that she had awoken.

Kakuzu opened his mouth, a deep frown concealed behind his mask. His voice was dead. "I cannot heal her. She has less than a half hour left."

End Song:

Storm by Life House


	111. Chapter 111

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 111**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

… I feel weak… So very weak. That… damn shaking… I think… I think I'm worse now… agh… so tired…

I'd managed to grab something in the blackness. The hook (or was it a branch? Or a pole? I couldn't tell) was keeping me from falling, and it was beginning to bend. I was about to fall off and back into oblivion. I could only hang and feel hopeless. I wanted to keep a tight hold on the thing holding me in place. I could not. I couldn't move to better grasp it.

I'm so tired… agh, I'm starting to really slip now… Crap… I can't keep a good hold… I can't… move… d…amn… Slipping… I'm slipping… I'm… going… to… fall…

-!-

Everyone stood around the bed. Kakuzu explained that the muscle had been punctured by the twig, and many of Morgan's organs had been injured. Her lungs were caving in and her heart was beginning to shut down from unending shock.

Pein stood quietly in the doorway, shaking his head in disbelief. "… She's really going to die." Everyone looked away as Morgan drew another rattling breath. Deidara looked pained. Tobi gripped his chin, observing. "That collar…" Kakuzu perked slightly and looked to him. "That's it." Eyes jerked to look at him. Kakuzu looked at them, his hollow eyes brightened faintly by hope. "I can force the collar off. Her chances might change… her chakra rush might heal her. … She's dying anyway."

Everyone blinked in shock. Could it work? What were the chances? Could Morgan actually survive it? Kakuzu looked away. "Then again, everything could go wrong. The chakra could damage her body and kill her… or even release the chakra fast enough to shoot out of her at us."

Pein walked over to him, standing in the middle of the group. "We'll vote on it." Uncertainty and faint hope flooded the room. There wasn't much time to think this over. Everyone began to say yes when Deidara shouted out, "This isn't right! She's already dying! What the heck is going to change?! She's going to get one heck of a shock of chakra. That is not going to help her at all! It's going to burn and kill her faster! I vote no - let her die peacefully!"

His voice reverberated in the silent room. Thoughts processed in the minds of the rest of the Akatsuki. Konan was the first to speak. "I side against Deidara. I vote we try it." Zetsu nodded. "I vote yes." "No," Madi growled. Pein stated, "I vote yes." Hidan shrugged impatiently. "Yes, of course we try it!" Kakuzu nodded. "My position is obvious. Yes." … "No." Everyone looked to Tobi in surprise.

"You are all insane. You are getting your hopes up over something that will never work! You don't even know that this will affect her at all! Well, what if it takes our lives with hers?! She is going to die! Let her go. Let it go."

Everyone was stunned. The hope in the room began to flicker. Kakuzu whispered after a moment, "Votes stand with 'yes' winning. We try it." Deidara and Madi looked pained. Everyone looked down to the unconscious girl. Her breaths were even shallower. She seemed to struggle for every heartbeat.

Kakuzu moved his hands down the collar. He pressed several buttons and tried to take it off. It clicked and whirred until an angry electronic buzz loudly filled the room. The collar seemed to move on its own and tighten.

Kakuzu cursed and pressed another button, and the collar stopped moving. Instead, it made a scratching sound, and blood began to drip over Morgan's collarbone. Kakuzu jerked back in confusion and tried to remove it with force. It wasn't working, so he struggled to plug up the flows of blood. He'd only made it worse.

-!-

Itachi was panicking. No one was answering the calls on the rings. No one was saying what was happening. Itachi was clearly losing his mind because of this. Was she dead? Was she okay? How much longer did he have? Would he have time to type in the code?! Anything! All he needed was a word.

He closed his eyes and fought the disease and pain. Kisame was feeding him chakra as fast as he could. Itachi was trying as hard as he could to keep moving. He had lost count of how many miles were left to the base. Kisame refrained from telling him. It was keeping him going.

Finally, a voice came from the ring. " **Kakuzu tried something… she's getting worse."** Itachi was furious. "KAKUZU!" He sped up, running at his limit once again. Kisame grimaced as Itachi's eyes closed in exertion.

Itachi shouted the code again and again. "…I can tell you how close we are if you want," Kisame murmured. Itachi shook his head no. "If you tell me, I might give up. Just run." Kisame nodded and waited for the Uchiha to take the next step, and then the one after that… and it continues on for a long time. Kisame closed his eyes and let his frustration go. He sighed and kept running. Itachi closed his eyes and pushed forward again.

"Itachi…" The Uchiha opened his right eye and looked to Kisame. "What?" "We're here." Itachi froze and looked ahead.

He stopped running and turned his head, noticing the base entrance. He breathed in roughly and darted through the entrance and into the living room. His shout rang through the base. "WHERE IS SHE?!" Madi burst out of the hallway with wide eyes, gesturing frantically at Morgan's door. "She…she… " Itachi shoved past her and into the room.

 _Don't let me be too late… Please…_

-!-

I feel the hook bending. I feel my body slip to the very end and hang from one hand, swinging over the unknown. Black. Dizzy, spinning, blackness.

It's coming. I know it is. The end… the end will come… as soon as I fall. This is the last chance, but no one will save me… there isn't any time… there isn't even a hope. I wait to fall into oblivion.

-!-

Every eye jerked to Itachi as he burst into the room. Kakuzu froze, still trying to pull the collar away. Itachi glared at him. "MOVE." Kakuzu stepped back quickly, staring at the soaking wet, bleeding, half dead Itachi. His breath was coming in rough jabs. Blood was spilling over his cheeks. His shoulder was dripping red. His eyes were as strained as his muscles.

Itachi whispered the numbers to himself as he pressed the buttons. "Come on, let this work… come on… please…" He finished the sequence and coughed. He fell to his knee but managed to catch himself on the edge of the bed and pull himself up. The collar was making noises, registering the buttons that had been pressed.

Itachi closed his eyes. His hand wrapped around hers. The machine in the background was beeping with her heart. That ever slowing pulse continued to weaken, and him with it. He groaned as he opened his eyes and looked at her. The collar had stopped moving. It clicked and loosened. Needles from around the ring pulled from her neck and back into the machine. It divided into sections and fell from her neck onto the stained red sheets and from there onto the floor.

Itachi moved forward and laid his head on the bed next to hers. "Come on… please… please… Morgan… Please. Don't…" His voice broke. "Don't die…"

… … …

Words are not coming to me quickly anymore… Nothing is working. I feel the black swim and revolve. I feel pain in my throat like something was ripping. I hang limply from the bent hook as I tilt more and more to the coming edge.

I have given up on thinking of memories. The thing is… this one came on its own. I saw that picture again. I wanted to touch it. I wanted to rub my fingers over the edge and pull myself into the image.

I saw each person and memories enveloped me. Why were they coming to me now? I couldn't reach for them. I couldn't make a grab for them. I could only watch as they faded into black. Why now? Why come to me now? Why make me dread this? Why?

Why make me wish I was alive when I couldn't go back? Why make me suffer this again? I shudder as the hook bends further, and I can feel the invisible cliff poking into my stomach. I want to hold on. I want to reach out and hold on. I can't move my arms. I cannot move at all.

Where were they? Were they with me? Was the Akatsuki waiting on me? Have they already given up on me? Did they ever care? Was that picture all an act?

I felt like smiling. It would have been a painful smile, but it would have been a smile all the same… I wonder so many things as I slid towards the edge.

Where was Itachi? Was he with Sasuke? Was he still running after him? Was he going to come back? Did he ever plan on returning? Was he going to die? Why did he leave? Did he really love me? Was everything an act? Was it all an act in a play? I wonder… I truly wonder if everything I did and said was nothing to them. Was I only a tool? Did I matter? Was I here for a reason? Would I be missed?

I sigh to myself as my hand slid to the very edge of the hook. Last chance… Wait one second. What was that? I feel warmth on my right hand and shoulder. What was this? I feel the warmth spread all around me. I knew this warmth.

This warmth had a name. This was Itachi. Itachi was here! Itachi was back! He was holding me! I was here! I wasn't alone! He was here! I felt like screaming out for him. I felt like screaming my existence. I wanted to tell him I was here. I wanted to see him. All I knew was that blackness and that warmth.

I felt the hook give out, and I began to fall. I felt the warmth begin to fade. I lashed out and tried to grasp it. I cannot move. I cannot shout. I cannot move to find him. I can only fall into the dizzy black ice that is around me. I fall and wait.

Something is coming. Something will meet me at the end of this fall. I knew as soon as I hit it that I would die. But I didn't want to die. I never did. I wanted to be with all of them. I wanted to hear them speak to me. I didn't want to watch memories, I wanted to create them.

I look up and feel my breath catch in my throat. Blue is consuming the black. Blue… chakra? Chakra is coming to me? I glanced down and can sense the bottom of the blackness coming towards me. I close my eyes and wait for one to reach me before the other.

… … …

Eyes watch. Ears listen to the machine. Everyone waits. Itachi holds his breath and clenches her hands in his. He begs her to live. Itachi moves and kisses her forehead.

The machine goes quiet. Soft breathes cease. Eyes no longer flutter. Everyone watches as Morgan dies.

End Song: Storm by Life House


	112. Chapter 112

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 112**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi let his head drop onto the sheets. Everyone let shock roll over them. Itachi was quiet for a moment. He pressed his face into her hand and kept it there. Everyone stared. Itachi soon began to cry. No one was sure if that was what set them all off… but then it really hit everyone.

Itachi sobbed into her hand. His voice carried over the others. He called her name. Everyone whispered it. Voices carried through the room. They only said one word, one name. They closed their eyes to it. They whispered it to one another.

Konan

Memories flew through her mind. She didn't want to see her like this. She wanted to remember the girl in front of her for who she was. She wanted to remember the bubbling and happy Morgan, not the dying one. She remembered back to a time when the two had been together.

Morgan smiled at her as she lead the woman outside on a rainy day. Konan protected her hair with a hood as the girl ran ahead. The base in the trees waited behind them, the home waiting for them to come back. The woman followed the girl into the forest and called out for her to wait.

Morgan took her hand and lead her into a clearing. "Here it is! I thought this place was beautiful, Konan! What do you think?" Konan looked around the clearing at the white flowers. Even in the rain they poked their gorgeous heads out from the brush and gave the world a heavenly feel.

Morgan laughed and walked through them to the middle and sat down on a rock. "They're strange flowers! In the sun they hide and only come out when it rains! It's like they are little vampire flowers!" Konan laughed along and walked over to her.

Morgan smiled softly. "They kind of remind me of you." Konan looked over her shoulder to the girl. Morgan looked over to her. "They always hide how beautiful they are until everything else is tired and makes its appearance known!" Konan smiled and hugged her.

That was how she wanted to remember the girl in front of her. That was the real Morgan to her.

Deidara

He remembered the first day he saw her. He confused her with Hidori and made her life miserable. He wanted to remember how she stood up to him. He wanted to remember how wild and determined she was. He wanted to think of her as strong. She was the embodiment of everything stubborn and comforting. He wanted to keep her that way.

She laughed at him as he tried to get her to confess to being Hidori. "You can't honestly think that I know you like that!" Deidara smirked. "That's right! If you aren't her then you wouldn't know anything about me!" Morgan smirked and replied, "I know everything about you, Deidara." She turned and walked into the base.

That was Morgan. Stubborn and beautiful Morgan. He wanted her to be like that again.

Tobi

His mind wandered to the others. He saw the memories in their eyes and closed his own. He was forced to think of something as well. He remembered the first time she showed any knowledge of his identity.

In the hallway she had walked out. Her eyes met his sharingan for one moment before darting away in fright. He knew in that moment that she knew much more than she let on.

His thoughts moved to the time just before now. He had seen her in a state where she was not afraid of anything. She was not scared to die. She was not scared of being alone. She was brave. She was clever and cunning. Morgan was as far from foolish and childish as could be.

She would be someone he would miss. She was too strange and interesting of a person to lose this way.

Pein

His eyes followed the others to her. His ears registered the lack of beating in her heart. That was what shocked him. It was the fact that her heart was dead. She had never let anyone really beat her like this. She had stood up. She had changed from the coward she came as to the determined ninja she died as.

He remembered the nights she had awoken in hysterics from nightmares. He remembered how she had dealt with it and grown from it. He knew she was strong. He knew she was brave. But this really was the end of it all.

He closed his eyes to get rid of the sight of her. He couldn't look at her like this. That was not Morgan. The person in the bed was a corpse. It was the corpse of someone else. It could not be the laughing, goofy, harebrained Morgan.

Hidan

There were too many memories to pick out. He chose to think on the memory of their mission. He remembered going after the bell. She had picked on him right along with the others. He smirked at the thought.

She was independent and cocky. She did not know true pain back then. But she knew it now. She was changed now. Even if she had lived, she could not be the same. But she was not coming back. She was dead. She was as dead as those he sacrificed. She was gone.

The image of her laughing and sarcastic expression seemed to fade into his consciousness. She was too pure to die like this. She was innocence… not Akatsuki.

Kakuzu

He hadn't been able to do anything. He had only worsened all of this. Her death weighed heavily on his shoulders. Her once shining eyes would never be seen again. Her loud laugh had turned to rough breaths. She had seemed fine not so long ago. She had been happy. She had been safe.

He looked down at his hands and saw her blood on them. He closed his eyes. He could not stay in the past. The past was just as painful as the present. He made the first step closer to her.

Kisame

His memory was different from the others. He remembered Morgan in that play. He remembered all the fun.

She stood beside him before the play started and looked out over the audience. "Kisame… I don't think I can go out there…" "Getting cold feet?" Kisame chuckled. She glared at him. "Holding your breath? Look out, you might turn blue." He smirked and pushed her lightly. She returned it and seemed a little better.

Kisame glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You read the manuscript, right?" She nodded. "Of course I did! I know every line!" Uh huh. She'd missed the last page, then. She didn't know. "Then there is nothing to worry about, kid." "I am not a kid!" "You are to me!"

She smiled and put her hands on her hips. "I blame you if I mess up." "You won't." "I'll mess up just to prove you wrong!""No you won't." "You're right…" He laughed at her and waited for the show to begin.

He remembered every step. He remembered the end and the kiss. He remembered the shock on her face as she kissed Itachi back. He smiled as he watched that. He had waited for it to happen. She seemed more than willing now. It looked so believable then…

He remembered her dazed face and the entire love and heartache that came later from the misunderstanding. Kisame smiled. She was like that… she was just like a princess… But she was dying like a cancer sick mutt.

Madi

The first time she had seen Morgan… she remembered everything. She remembered every thought. She remembered everything.

 _The girl now standing before me was beautiful. Happiness radiated from her face and laugh lines could be predicted to lie on her face later in life. Long blond hair swept around her face. Beautiful blue eyes wandered over me, examining me. A perfect figure made the clothes she wear stand out. But it was always the smile that made her just pop_.

She remembered as the two were introduced. Madi had made a rude comment and Morgan was trying to keep it from bothering her. She must have been such a brat. That was what Madi had thought. Morgan has thrown it off and made use of the situation.

She got along with everyone. She was happy.

Madi remembered how her first opinion of her being a brat changed to the selfless best friend she considered her now. She remembered that it was all the things they spoke about. Everyone about Morgan had been a lie at first. That was the admittance of Madi.

She knew that the Akatsuki could not be the Akatsuki without her.

Itachi

I don't want to think of the past. I don't want to feel such pain in remembering her. I wanted her real and in my arms every moment. I hold her hand and let the tears flow freely. She was too important. She was more important than anything. Why did I have to go? Why couldn't I move faster? This was my entire fault. She is… dead… because of me.

I choked out her name and moved my body to envelop her in a crushing hug. Why was I always so late? Why was I so cautious? What made me think that I had so much time…?

She's gone… she's gone… She's dead. I was too late. She was never coming back. She'd never hear my apology even as I whisper it now along with her name. She would never kiss me… or find out how much I love her. She will never know. I am just born an idiot… an idiot meant to hurt others like this…

Dammit I loved her…I love her… I kiss her hand and tell her how I feel. Even if she never hears it… Even if I am too late… "I am so sorry, Morgan… I am so sorry I left. I love you… I am so sorry…"

End Song: Storm by Life House


	113. Chapter 113

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 113**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Warmth and Pain

Madara walked to the EKG machine and switched it off. The endless beeps from each heartbeat ceased, filling the room with crushing silence. It was the silence of realization. Itachi lifted a hand and slid the oxygen mask away. His face never moved from her hand. His shoulders shook hard as he sat there.

The piled up bandages covered most of her chest and abdomen. The red that was painted there matched the stains on Itachi's face. Her disheveled hair was haphazardly spread around her face. Frozen lips lay half open in mid-breath. Eyes remained closed in the eternal sleep of death.

No one said a word to break the silence. No one could think of anything to say. Madi turned to Kisame and planted her face into his shoulder as she cried. Kisame closed his eyes halfway and held the weeping girl. Konan moved closer to Pein and was forced to close her eyes to keep from breaking down. Deidara's chest quivered as he fought the pain. Madara kept his back to her and slumped into himself. Hidan fell back onto the wall silently. Kakuzu could only stare and clench his hands into fists.

Itachi lifted his eyes from her ever cooling hand to her face. It was as pale as snow, yet, even in death, peaceful. Angelic, almost. Her hand was immediately covered again with his. She made no sounds. She moved not the slightest. She was gone… it was the end.

Itachi held in the sobs as he ran his fingers through her hair. The strands were moved from her face and tucked away. His shaking fingertips ran over her face and down to her neck where the collar had been. It was bruised and bloody. He ran his fingers over the wounds and slammed his eyes shut briefly against the emotions threatening to explode.

He looked down to her in pain, self hatred consuming him. He cursed himself for all he had done. Everything he had done had led to this. His black eyes closed as he fell back onto his knees, holding her hand in both of his. He let the teardrops of blood fall onto her hand. His control wavered once, then broke. He never tried to hide anything. He let everything go.

A hand landed on Itachi's shoulder. The Uchiha never looked up to Madara. He knew who it was. He shrugged away the gesture. Itachi never wanted sympathy. He wanted to be hated for this. He wanted everyone to despise him for what he had done. He wanted everyone to kill him for this.

Through the silence, his quiet whisper was like a blade to the hearts of the listeners. "I was too late…" He moved and let his arms curl around her shoulders as he lifted her up and into him. Her head fell backwards and he caught it gently.

His eyes swept her face as he held her to his chest. Itachi leaned forward and pressed his face into her neck. He sobbed her name over and over into her ears. He let himself be lost in her. He let himself be lost in all that was left of Morgan. He was lost in her memory, his pain for her and himself and everything. He drowned in her. He drowned and let himself sink into her.

He kissed her head and crushed her to him, his body becoming still. "I can't miss you." The startled Akatsuki moved to say something. Their throats remained closed. They couldn't say anything here. Instead, Itachi continued undisturbed. "I can't miss something I will always love like this… I can't…"

Konan let her tears roll but remained silent. Hidan glared at the floor in disgust. Madara backed away and stepped from the room. No one took notice of him. Zetsu looked to the side and away from them. Even Pein had begun to be affected.

Itachi let himself revolve around her more and more. Nothing existed to him but her. He pressed his head into the crook of her neck. He lost himself in her. She was everything he had left. He let himself go and fall into her scent and feeling of her skin. He let his head tilt into her as he strained to get even closer.

He tried to push out the insistent sounds all around him. Crying surrounded him. He could ignore it and keep away. There was another sound. It was that sound that he could not ignore. An insistent fluttering sound met his ears. He pulled away from her gently and frowned. The sound was gone … Had it been someone laughing?!

He turned to the others, his eyes wide with rage. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?!" The others looked as hurt as ever. Itachi let the bloody tears fall. He demanded to know what they thought.

Madi's swollen red eyes saw the pain on Itachi's face. She knew that he felt the same pain she felt. She moved from Kisame over to his side. Madi tried to hug him to comfort Itachi, but he moves away from her. Madi leaned back in defeat onto the machine. Her back nudged against the power switch, and the thing hummed to life.

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Every eye widened. Itachi turned to the machine in shock. Three little jumps from the line had formed and were racing into oblivion.

 _Beep… Beep. Beep._

No one could breathe. Kakuzu took a hesitant and disbelieving step forward. Madi fell backwards and away from the machine. Eyes trailed back to the girl on the bed of red blood. The cords attached to her chest and vital places were all intact.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

… … …

The rush of chakra and the bottom of my fall had both come at me with speed I had never imagined. I had expected to see the darkness envelop me again as I met the abyss. Instead, the light of chakra spread around me like a light from heaven itself.

The blue glow met my eyes and seemed to slow everything and make the area around me flash in excitement. I saw everything around me. I saw everything I had fallen from. I saw the huge cliff I had been falling from. The hook I had grabbed before could be seen from where it stuck out, distorted and warped.

I glanced back down to the bottom as I slowly descended closer to the bottom. I watched as the chakra sped and raced closer to me. I blinked in shock as I felt a muscle in my arm twitch and move. I gasped in a breath as my legs moved. I looked down and saw the ground of spikes reach up for me.

I screamed and reached for the vast and endless blue above me. My hands met something and I hung desperately onto it. I kept my eyes closed, feeling the chakra envelope me and hold me away from the death below. My eyes opened and my breath caught in my chest.

The chakra had changed shape. A blue hand was keeping me from falling to my death. I looked up and into the eyes of the person who had reached me. The smiling face of Itachi, etched in blue, met my eyes. He seemed to float as he pulled me up and into his arms.

My eyes remained open in shock and confusion. I heard him laugh. I looked over his shoulder and saw other familiar faces. Madi smiled, extending a hand as Itachi reached up for her. Kisame saluted me and held out his hand. Kakuzu nodded to me and I could almost imagine him smiling at me from behind his mask. Hidan swung his scythe and propped it on his shoulder before smirking at me. Konan smiled and crossed her arms, and she moved closer to me. Pein lifted a hand to me. Zetsu nodded to me. Madara, even though he was turned away from me, let out a hand. All of them were made of that magnificent blue.

I felt Itachi lift me up and towards them. I stretched a hand out to them. Their bright blue glow rushed down and surrounded me in warmth. I felt so safe here… safe, but still so deep in pain. I felt tears finally come to my once hopeless eyes. I reached for all of them and let them hold me so tightly.

I heard voices now, too. I looked past my family and saw Sasori standing there with a wide smile on his face. Sasuke smirked beside him and held a hand out to me smugly. Shikamaru and Drew were back to back as they gave me a thumbs up. I smiled back. It was all I could do. Naruto laughed and dropped to his knees to reach closer to me.

The Akatsuki lifted me up to meet them. I accepted all their hands and felt myself become even warmer. The stiffness was long gone and all I felt was warmth and protection. Safe. I could stay in these arms forever.

My tiny bubble of hope and love seemed so small compared to this huge cliff I had fallen from. They did not seem strong enough to lift me to the rim of life. I reached upwards and they tried to lift me higher. My hands found another set of blue hands.

I looked into the eyes of Ino and her smile. Choji was holding her around the waist as she hung lower to reach me. Kakashi closed his book and pulled up on the back of Choji's shirt. Kotetsu and Izumo held out their hands as I was pulled up to them. I embraced them all. I felt that warmth surround me and pull me up and up.

"Thank you…" I whispered. "Thank you so much…" More voices, more hands… More hope… More love… I saw all of Konoha and all of my friends wave at me. Gaara and his siblings lifted out arms to welcome me. Even Tsunade lifted her arms to greet me with a kind smile.

My once tiny dot of blue had grown into a sky of hope. There was no pain here. There wasn't any sadness. No where inside of me was cold. Nowhere within my body was tired. I was whole. I was safe. I felt… almost complete.

I was lifted higher and higher up to almost the very top of the cliff. I was one hand away from reaching the top. But no one was there. I realized that no one else could really be waiting for me. I blinked in shock, feeling the pain crawl into me. Suddenly, I saw a set of blue feet at the edge of the cliff.

I looked up and into the eyes of the man I had killed. Kenji Sho's hands lowered down and grabbed mine. He pulled me up and onto the top of the cliff. All of the faces and hands of my friends and family held me. Everyone grasped onto me. Every person here I had affected in some way. Every person here was different because of me. I couldn't help but feel so warm and free and safe. I was not alone. I was not just here. I mattered. I was missed. People cared for me. I had people who loved me. I had a family. I had two. I had so many people here for me, so I couldn't die yet. And I was not going to die yet.

I opened my eyes. I open them at long last and saw the world in the present.

End song: Storm by Life House


	114. Chapter 114

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 114**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

"Do not come in here!" I shouted over the drone of the water. Voices yelled through the door to me. I shouted again, "I'm not kidding!" I closed my eyes and leaned back on the wall of the shower. So it seemed everything had changed since I'd woken up. No one wanted to let me out of their sight. Madi and Itachi BOTH tried to follow me into the bathroom a minute ago. They were trying to talk me into allowing them inside.

I rubbed my temples and groaned as I slid to the floor. I thought back to waking up. It had been… well… interesting.

-!-

Itachi gawked at the machine as the once flat line jumped three times again before the jumps became regular. Morgan could be heard breathing again. Everyone could only stand wide eyed and watch her. She was alive.

Her eyes seemed to close tightly for a moment before opening. There were two quiet breaths before she began to speak. She looked up at Itachi and weakly smirked. "So… who died?" Itachi felt shock roll over his face before he couldn't help but smile. He pulled her up and into his arms where he hugged her tightly. "Morgan!" His tears fell again, but this time they came in wonder and awe.

She groaned and Itachi was threatened by Kakuzu to move before he hurt her once again. Kakuzu growled distractedly for the others to look away before lifting the clothes away from her, and he gasped as well as the others. Her half bound chest was healed and all of her wounds were gone. The bruise around her neck was slowly disappearing before their eyes. The tear in her stomach had healed, and the wound from the stick was nothing but a mere memory.

She sat up on her own and smiled painfully. "Well that hurt." Everyone rushed forward to her. Her eyes widened and she cringed down away from them. Itachi released Morgan as Madi tackled them. Deidara was laughing even as he strained not to cry. Zetsu called down the hall for Tobi. The man stepped inside and met Morgan's tired eyes. She grinned. "Nice try." He chuckled and the others got to move in on her.

Konan hugged her face hard into her chest and Morgan was forced to beg for a breath. Her arms flagged around in the air in warning that her lungs were about to burst. Pein ruffled her hair and grinned. Hidan picked her up off the bed and threatened to kill her if she almost died again. Kakuzu was checking her vitals with a baffled look in his eyes. Kisame looked relieved and punched her shoulder softly.

Morgan laughed at them and stood up slowly. "Air please!" They moved back and she smiled to all of them. "You guys… you really saved me there." Everyone watched as her eyes fell. "I was really scared in there. Everything was black… and memories continued to come to me. I was so alone…"

Everyone listened in interest and confusion. "But… my collar was taken off, and the chakra kept me from falling into oblivion…" Itachi looked confused and took another step back. She looked up at him and the rest of them, her voice barely a whisper. "And I saw all of you there to help me…"

Itachi took a step back and leaned on the wall. His eyes spaced out in thought and shock. He had been in time. He had run fast enough. He had been fast enough. He was the reason she was alive. He had saved her. He felt the relief rock his very soul. He dropped to the ground and held his face in one hand.

Morgan watched him crumble in relief. She looked to the others and managed to step forward on her own. She grimaced at the remaining pain in her stomach and took all the steps she needed to reach him. Her hand came down on his shoulder. He looked up in shock at her smiling face. She knelt in front of him and smiled softly. "Thank you… Itachi."

-!-

Things had just taken off from there. I had been abducted by Kakuzu and Zetsu to have tests run. Madi and Itachi couldn't keep from smiling now. Deidara was trying to get everyone drunk as a celebration. Tobi was running around shouting about how 'healed' I was. Kisame was trying to keep from smiling, but he was failing. Konan and Pein were smiling with the rest and constantly going to check on me.

I, on the other hand, had been running on a treadmill with wired taped to my chest. While everyone else was getting drunk, I was bending over and touching my toes. Even when everyone quieted down, I was trying to prove to Kakuzu that I was perfectly fine. He was called away when someone broke something and I escaped from the testing room to the bathroom to take a freaking shower.

Itachi knocked on the door. "Morgan, can I come in?" "This is a bathroom, Itachi. I am taking a shower. No, you cannot come in." Madi shouted, "I can, right?!" I denied her and shouted, "Bring me a towel." I heard her running down the hall.

I let the water flow over my skin as someone disobeyed me and entered the bathroom. I sighed. It was probably Konan. "I'm fine, you don't have to come in." There was a MALE sigh and I felt my breath stop. My voice asked hesitantly, "Itachi?" "Would I allow another man in this bathroom?" "That makes sense."

I could image Itachi leaning on the wall with his eyes closed as he listened to me move in the shower. I peered at his figure through the translucent curtain. "Can you not just leave me in here for the time being? I can at least take a shower by myself." I could imagine him smirking slightly, and crossed his arms in a relaxed pose. "It's me or Kakuzu. Your choice." "…Really?" "No."

I smirked and laughed slightly. I could picture him opening his eyes and scanning the curtain over. "Are they all outside?" I asked. He started to nod before realizing the mistake and stated, "Yes." I sighed. "Can you tell them that you have my permission to stay inside and for them to go? And get my towel from Madi." He chuckled and I heard the door open slightly. Madi made a rude sound and stomped off as soon as I could no longer hear Itachi's voice. Kakuzu muttered something and I listened as they all left the room.

Itachi closed the door and I heard him walk back to his original position. I let the water fall over me in silence. "You okay?" he asked. I nodded, caught myself with a small laugh, and stated, "I'm fine… Just thinking." He sighed. "I thought you died. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have." I grimaced slightly and whispered, "I was wondering… what would have happened to me if you were late…"

I wasn't prepared for what happened next. Itachi, headband over his eyes, stepped into the shower. I gasped and stuttered, "No way! Get out!" He frowned and, due to my outburst, listened in and pinned me to the wall. I gulped and heard a little voice in the back of my head scream, 'Danger! Danger!'…I ignored that stupid voice. It apparently had been asleep for the last year or so of my life.

Itachi leaned close, his forehead nearly touching mine. "I won't lie. I thought I was too late…" he murmured. "And if you had died, I would have hunted Sasuke back down and made him…" He couldn't finish it, but I knew what he was about to say. "…You would have made him kill you." He nodded. I could see his body start to tremble. I was afraid to ask, but I managed to whisper, "What happened when you left?"

He flinched and took a step back. I remained where I had been. He turned his head away from me. "I… went after Sasuke… because I didn't want to watch you die… and for a small bit of revenge I could get before leaving." I moved forward. He noticed this and froze. I touched his shoulder gently. "Why did you come back?" His hand reached up to caress my face, a tiny smile on his lips. "For the same reason you were able to change my brother's mind from his hatred. I came back because I knew you loved and needed me."

I hesitated. "So you only came back because I loved you and needed you? It was not mutual?" He pressed his lips to mine and gave me a brief but firm kiss. "I came back because he gave me the code to save you. I came back because there was a chance you could be in my arms like this again." I couldn't stop a giggle. "In a shower with you blindfolded and half of the Akatsuki in the hallway?" He laughed slightly at that.

I felt a wry smile form on my face. "Did you really cry as much as Kakuzu said you did?" He backed up and looked in the opposite direction of me. "Um, well… I…" I laughed and advanced on him. "I can see your eyes, idiot." He stumbled back a few more steps and fell out of the shower. I smiled down at him and wrapped the towel around me before stepping out and around him.

He sat up and removed the head band. His face was bright red. I smiled and looked into the mirror. "Kakuzu was bad at protecting my privacy, anyway. I bet the entire organization saw most of me. At least I'm in better shape than I was a year ago!" He frowned and I looked down at him with a smile.

He turned away and I changed into the clean clothes on the counter. He turned back around when I was done. "Y…You were fine before." I frowned. "Eh?" He looked away nervously. "Do you remember the incident at the hotel with the guy who attacked you in the shower?" I blinked in confusion. "Yeah… I never did find that perv." "He was me… I had gone in to get something and caught your conversation with yourself. I tried to get out and tripped into the shower. I hid in the closet."

I choked on my breath and began to laugh at him. "You moron! I can't believe you slipped like that!" He laughed and it seemed back to old times again. That was until Tobi kicked down the door and shouted, "MORGAN-CHAN NEEDS HER MEDICINE!" I flailed as he dragged me from the bathroom and out of the room.

… … …

It seems so long ago that I was in my old life. It seems ages ago that I lived with my parents. It seems so long since then that I can hardly remember it anymore. A year, basically, with all of my new friends seems to have taken over the importance of my old life now. I miss my family and old friends. I even miss the annoying brats in my class. But I can't even imagine leaving this new life and going back. That was out of the question. I could not leave this world and go back. There was too much here I couldn't live without. I could name them all off… but I'll save you a year of your life. I vow, here and now. I'll never die and leave them.

-!-

"You understand, then?"

Pein nodded. "Yes. She is healed now. Kakuzu has given me the results. She is perfectly fine and can now move and fight like she used to."

"Then we shall move straight on to the matter I mentioned?"

"… Yes… Kakuzu and Hidan are to immediately move into action and capture their tailed beast."

Madara chuckled. "Everything is back on track and moving at the desired pace."

"As you say."

Madara turned in a flurry of cape as he placed his mask back into the correct place on his face.

"Let it begin again."

End Song: 88 by Sum 41


	115. Chapter 115 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 115**

Christmas Special!

Konan glanced around the kitchen and smiled in glee. Her hands dug through the pans and pulled out the one for the cake. She flipped through an old cookbook and picked out the cake she wanted. Her eyes flashed and she started to giggle excitedly. She hummed and danced around the kitchen to retrieve goodies.

She sang the ingredient list to herself as she dumped things in a bowl. "Three eggs~!" She tossed them in whole and looked back at the cookbook. "Three cups of flour~!" She dumped three thermoses of flour into the bowl. "Two cups of…" And so forth.

She glanced down to the bowl in front of her in confusion. "Why is it overflowing like that?" She got a bigger bowl and glanced back to the instructions. "Whip with a spoon for fifty strokes." She took out a tablespoon and began to stir it. After one hundred and fifty stirs, she sighed and gazed down at the mixture. "I don't think this looks right…" She frowned and poured it into the cake pan anyway. It overflowed and dripped onto the floor.

She cleaned the area around it and chucked the cake into the oven. She wiped her hands together and left the disaster of a kitchen while it baked.

-!-

I turned the page in my book as I walked easily down the hall. My drink was basically gone as I sucked it through the straw of the cup I balanced carefully in the opposite hand of the paper back novel. I glanced up as I entered the kitchen. "HOLY CRAPPOLAS!" I blinked in shock and dropped my book to the floor. I took several deep breaths and leaned against the wall.

I had never seen such an awful mess in all my life. I crept along the length of the wall and onto the counter. It was the only clean surface in the room. Everything else was covered in… SOMETHING. IT WAS EVEN ON THE ROOF AND WALLS. I managed to make it to the sink. I looked to my right and shuddered. Even the bird outside the CLOSED WINDOW was covered in the icky.

I took a deep breath and opened the window. The bird looked at me with pleading eyes. I picked it up and carried it over to the only place other than the counter where there were not any pots: the sink. I lathered the bird with environmental friendly soap and rubbed him clean. I let him free and he flew away singing cheerfully. I swear he was thanking me as he escaped. I nodded to him. No prob, birdy.

… … …

Morgan sighed and got to work on the kitchen. Little did she know of the three Christmas Ghosts waiting to meet her!

The Ghost of Christmas Past *cough* Kakuzu *cough*

I had managed to get the pans into the sink and clean a spot at the base of the sink to stand at. The dishwasher was propped open to receive the (sometimes disfigured and chemically altered) pots. I sucked in another deep breath as I touched the first disgusting pan. I groaned and began to pour the water over it.

I scrubbed the first pan with all of my muscle. I coughed at the fumes and stepped back and into a pile of the crap. I shrieked in horror, gagging and rushing to the sink to throw up. It was moving like Jell-O! … and I swear I saw it move on its own earlier. I sighed and rubbed my temples as I cleaned off my foot and got ready to clean the next pot.

A soft clinking sound from behind me made me pause. I glanced over my shoulder and sighed. "What the heck do you want, Kakuzu?" The man in front of me wasn't wearing his usual mask. Instead, he was pale white and appeared to be covered in flour. He had chains tied around his ankles.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past, Moooooorgan! I have come to show you all you have done in your liiiiiife…" I raised an eyebrow, unamused. "Uh-huh. So… What do you want, Kakuzu?" He lifted his arms up and waved them in front of my face with an angry "OoooOOOoooOOOOOO!". I blinked. "Um… please continue oh Great Ghost of Christmas Past."

He frowned and crossed his arms sullenly. "Do NOT pester me, woman!" I grinned smugly and gave him a "who, me?" innocent look. He gave me a warning glare, then jumped and FLEW over the floor and landed beside me in the clean area. He draped an arm around my shoulders and used the other to make a little rainbow wave in the air. "Now let me lead you back into the past… to your Christmas Past…" I rolled my eyes. "You tell me how you flew, and you got a deal." "It's Christmas Magic, you fool." "Uh huh. And I'm the Easter Bunny." "SHUT THE HECK UP WOMAN AND LET ME GET THIS THE HECK OVER WITH!"

He pinched his nose and did the diver dance thingy. He then very promptly danced the Macarena and poked me in the eye. "OW CRAP YOU KAKUZU!" I closed both of my eyes and blinked rapidly. Colors flashed in front of my nose. I squinted against them and shouted, "KAKUZU YOU LITTLE FREAK! NOW I'M GOING BLIND!"

The colors stopped and I looked around. "Hey, Kakuzu?" "Yea?" "Where the hell are we?" "I DON'T FREAKING KNOW! WHO DO I LOOK LIKE?! THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST?! YEAH RIGHT! I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING WOMAN! SHEESH! FIGURE SOMETHING OUT ON YOUR OWN!"

I ignored him as he began to rant and looked around. "Why are we in the snow?" "It's winter, you moron." "Why thank you for the lovely compliment." "You're welcome. Is that a house?" "Looks like it."

I sighed and began to walk towards it. Mr. Ghost of Christmas Past followed in his chains and complained about muscle cramps. I told him to stuff it and looked through the window. "Is that Hidan?" "Who's Hidan?" "Why is Hidan here?" "Who's Hidan?" "Did you poke him in the eye too?" "Nope." "What?" "I didn't poke Hidan." "You just admitted to knowing Hidan." "No I didn't."

I rolled my eyes in irritation, then watched through the window as Pein walked in. I frowned in confusion when he gently touched Hidan's shoulder. "It is time for you to go to bed, Christopher." Hidan looked up and spoke in a British accent, "But I dun want to go to bed, motha…" I grinned and giggled. Kakuzu hit me over the back of the head. "PAY ATTENTION!" I ignored him once again and watched.

Pein sighed. "Your Father won't be coming home for Christmas this year, Christopher." Hidan looked upset. "Did fatha die in the war, motha?" Pein looked out into space and shook his head in disbelief. He spoke in a breathy and distant way, "We can only hope, Christopher… we can only hope that he has…" He looked in disgust to the ground. "The dirty Nibblet Corn." Hidan looked up at him with big, childlike eyes. "Will I eva see him again, motha?" Pein crossed his arms angrily and glared at him. "IT IS TIME TO GET THE HECK IN BED, CHARLIE!" "BUT MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER, MOTHA!" "CALL ME MOTHA ONE MORE TIME AND WATCH HOW MANY CHRISTMASES I CAN KICK YOU BACK TO!"

Kakuzu then pinched his nose and did the diving dance thing. He danced the Macarena and poked me in the other eye. I cursed again, "KAKUZU YOU LITTLE PIECE OF…"

I looked around, and I was back in the kitchen. Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen. "Well that is just plain creepy." And I decided to move on with my life.

The Ghost of Christmas Present *chokes* Madi *gags and dies*

I glanced at the newly clean pans and groaned. "That was horrible…" I cleared my throat and looked down at the caked-on shizit on the floor that I was sure had a pulse. I sighed and sat down with a scratchy sponge thing and began to scrub at it.

Two feet appeared in the doorway. I looked up and saw the completely blank expression of Madi. "Are you thirsty? Why do you have a chicken leg? Where did you get that?" I blinked in surprise as she made me float towards her. I yelped and scrambled back to the floor in surprise.

I looked into her eyes as she spoke with a vacant tone, "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. I have come to show you Christmas in the Present." I blinked in confusion and looked around. "Are you serious? Well, mission accomplished. You can go tell Charlie or whatever that I'm through okay?" She did the weird little diver dance. "Oh come on, Madi… don't do the dang Macarena…" She did the dance anyway and tried to poke me in the eye. I smacked her hand away and she poked me with her other hand.

I screeched and held my face, spun around, and fell on my butt. "WHAT IS WITH ALL OF THIS SNOW? WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE GETTING IT?" Madi cleared her throat and I stood up. I watched as Hidan, looking annoyed, walked down the path with Tobi and Deidara. "Oh god you guys… This had better be pretty freaking important. Is the meadow on fire?" "No, Charlie! We found a map to Candy Mountain!" "Candy Mountain Charlie!"

My eyebrows soared to my hairline and I looked at Madi with a dumbfound expression. "Are you serious?" She sighed. "Just watch so I can poke you in the eye and we can go home." I nodded slowly, barely comprehending what she said. "… Fair enough." I sighed and walked after Hidan. We caught up to them on the bridge. Hidan was complaining about splinters. I sighed and reached over to cut the ropes, causing them to fall into the hole. "Merry Christmas, Charlie…"

"MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER!" Hidan screamed as he fell. I rolled my eyes and looked to Madi just in time to catch the end of the Macarena and to receive a poke to my other eye. "WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I'M APPARATING IN HARRY POTTER?! AAAAAGH! DID THEY HAVE TO GET POKED IN THE FREAKING EYE?!"

I opened my eyes and saw no sign of Madi in the kitchen. Oh wait… there's her chicken leg. "Where did she get that anyway? Never mind… I don't want to know."

The Ghost of Christmas Future *rises from dead* It's Tobi you twit. *Reburies self*

I had just finished cleaning the floors as I heard the whoosh of cloth behind me. I turned and glanced up. "Why the heck are you dressed like Darth Vader?" Tobi pointed to me and I stood. "So I'm guessing you are the Ghost of Christmas Future?" I received a nod. I covered my face with my hands. "Dance all you want, but you are not going to poke me in the dang eye." He was clearly dancing and let his finger pass right through my hand and into my eye. "OH WELL FRICK YOU TOO!"

I landed in the snow and cursed. "SERIOUSLY?! WHY SNOW?! IS THERE A REASON WHY IT IS ALWAYS SNOWING?! IT NEVER FREAKING SNOWS!" I flailed angrily and Tobi very easily pressed my face into the snow until I screamed for icy mercy. He pointed a finger at a big rock. I brushed the snow away and read it. I whispered out loud, "Here lies Tony the Gerbil…?"

Toby smacked his forehead and threw me over his shoulder. He carried me three stones to the left and dropped me again. I muttered about how much I hated this prank. Tobi tossed me down and pressed my face in snow, so I whimpered for mercy. I scraped away the snow on the headstone. "Aaaaaaand who is Marge?"

Tobi shouted and cursed. We spent the next hour searching the whole cemetery for the stone he wanted. Finally he found it and I knelt down beside of it. I brushed away the snow and saw a little blinking sign that said 'Read name card for 10 cents'. I glanced up to Tobi who handed me a quarter.

I pushed it into the coin slot and it spat it right back out with the caption 'exact change only'. Tobi fell back in the snow and threw a little tantrum. "WELL CRAP YOU TOO!" He dug through his pockets and found me ten pennies. I grinned, reached into my pocket, and held up my own dime. "Looza." He chucked the pennies at me and I dodged them with a grin.

I shoved the dime in and read as it said: "Here lies Michael Jackson." I clutched my face in horror and screamed, "NOOOOOOOO! NOT MICHAEL!" The little blinking sign then began to play "Thriller" and had little lights that looked like him dancing.

Tobi and I sat down and began to eat popcorn and watch it dance. About thirty minutes of "Thriller" and "Beat It" later, he dragged me to my feet and began the crappy dance. I sighed and let him poke me in the eye. I screamed at him and let myself be thrown down on the floor. Tobi, of course, was nowhere in sight.

I sighed and glanced around at my perfectly clean kitchen.

-!-

I woke up to frantic screaming, looking out the door to see Konan run into the kitchen and grab a burnt pan from the oven. I glanced at her wearily and watched as she ditched it out the window. I hoped that bird didn't eat it. I sighed and leaned against the doorframe. I waited until she was gone and baked another cake, cleaned it up, and put it where she could find it later.

I yawned sleepily and walked outside and into the living room. I smiled at Madi, Kakuzu, Tobi, Pein, and Deidara, all lying piled up in the living room floor in a stack of tape and wrapping paper. I picked up my present and unwrapped it. They had spent all night making me this… It was the reason the kept me distracted all day yesterday. It was a headband like the ones ninja were given when they graduated the academy. It had a little Akatsuki cloud etched into the center. I smiled at them and wondered for a brief moment where the heck Hidan was.

I then heard a curse from his room as he shouted, "GAH THEY TOOK MY FREAKING KIDDNEY!" I looked to the side and saw Konan wave her arms wildly in my face. "You didn't see anything…" she whispered. And she disappeared into the kitchen.

Best Christmas Ever. Too bad it was July here. Poor sad souls… I wonder what time of year it was back in my world… oh well!


	116. Chapter 116

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 116**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Several things happened in the last twenty or so hours. Konan and the others made a huge distraction in order to hide their attempts at making me a headband. They claimed it was Christmas in the middle of summer. Upon the end of their fiasco, Kakuzu and Hidan were sent out on a mission to retrieve information on their Jinchurikki. I'd gone through three hours worth of time trying to decide where to tie my head band. I ended up tying it loosely around my neck. I absentmindedly reached up and ran my fingers along it. It was giving Kisame OCD. He began to mess with his own headband every time I touched mine. I was now doing it to spite him. He was not a happy camper. Back to current events, Konan was now receiving baking lessons from Tobi. Pein was still locked in his room. Itachi and Deidara had developed a sort of rivalry, having little fights over tiny things every time Deidara mentioned how Itachi had run off and how he, being Deidara, had stayed with me. Madi was walking around the base looking at the ceiling and trying to figure out why each color lead to a different section of the base. Zetsu and I hd found it very entertaining to sit on the couch, sip tea, and watch everything else unfold… or Kisame twitch. All of it was fun.

In my room, I'd gotten my letters all written out. I smiled down at them and placed them in 'my' box in the storage room. No one touched it. I had gotten questions about what was in it, but I decided not to say anything. I let my fingers rub over the new sheet of paper in front of me. I basically just wrote little things that popped up in my head. None of it made sense. I wrote about the weird dreams with Hidori in it, and the even stranger ones that just came.

The plan was to eventually get out of this place and hide them in all of the old bases I went to, in every village I came to, in any place I wanted. I smiled. If I ever had time away from the Akatsuki, I would do that. I giggled at the thought of running off. It would probably make them lose their minds after all the commotion that'd happened recently. I stood and walked to my room, hiding the box away with several locks and threatening notes to 'stay out of my stuff'.

I spun around my room and hummed to myself. A song came to mind and I sang it out loud, horribly. I still sucked at singing. I began to dance all by myself like an idiot. I spun around singing, "My milkshake bring all the boys to the yard~!" It was old and a song I wasn't very fond of, but it was fun at the moment. I dirty danced by myself as I laughed at the lyrics and closed my eyes as I kept spinning and goofing off.

I heard clapping and froze, turning around quickly. My eyes widened when I saw Itachi and Kisame standing there looking smug. I felt a hot blush creep over my cheeks. "I'm guessing you saw all of that?" Itachi and Kisame looked to one another with small grins. "Most of it." I groaned and they asked, "Now what were the lyrics again?" My face heated up and I could only stutter in embarrassment.

They chuckled at me and Madi walked in. "What's going on?" "Morgan was dancing for us," Itachi snickered. I blushed and looked away. Madi grinned widely and ran over next to me. "I WANNA DANCE TOO!" I blinked in shock and realized she was trying to help me relax the embarrassment. Giving her a grateful smile, we both began to sing another song neither of us had too much of a taste for, but yet again it fit the mood. "Boys, boys, boys! We like boys in cars!" We giggled and danced really crappily for our audience. It backfired. Itachi and Kisame looked interested, so we quickly stopped and felt the blush creep over both of our cheeks.

We hunched away from them and whispered quietly, "The plan failed." "Well, those songs sucked." I nodded and thought for a moment. My face lit up as an epic thought crossed my mind. "You up for something cool?" She rolled her eyes with an "Of course!" and I winked at her. I pulled Itachi and Kisame inside and shut the door. We smirked at their reactions. Madi and I pressed our backs together and got ready. "Wait… how long would you wait?" "Just for me to call?" "I know you make mistakes, yeah but…" "I hope some day you have it all!"

Madi and I had a dance off as we sang the song. "Change the situation just because I need something new!" Itachi and Kisame leaned on the walls and laughed at us. Another chuckle from the door told us that Deidara and Tobi had walked in. I darted over, grabbed Tobi's hand, and got him to dance with me.

Itachi seemed bothered but I was too into the dance to care! We switched the music and we all had a blast. Madi even got Kisame to dance with her after a while. Itachi watched and looked on grumpily from the door. I only smirked at him and kept dancing. Due to the sheer boredom of the rest of the Akatsuki and the noise coming from my room, we got a few more people into the place.

Madi and I teamed up against Kisame and began to sing "Blue". He thought it was great, so all three of us sang, "I'M BLUE, DA BUH DEE DA BUH DIE!" Tobi was having a great a time (or at least he was pretending). Madi seemed to love the attention as everyone clapped or snickered as we ended the dance.

Itachi held up two signs. "You both get nines." We grinned from ear to ear and I cleared my throat. "And now… we would like to announce… The very first Akatsuki dance off! The three judges are Pein, Konan, and Tobi. Winner gets to pick the next song, and then the activity after this!"

Madi got an actual stereo from her room and I pointed to Deidara. He looked annoyed but told Madi a song. It was rather embarrassing for anyone to go up there, but he did well dancing to "Covered in Scars" by Fall from Grace. We were all laughing and clapping as his turn ended. He got two 8's and one 9.

Itachi got the song "I'm Crazy for this Girl" by Life House. He grinned and took my hand and spun me around. I could only blush as he twirled me in and out like a professional dancer. All I did was stay on my toes and he did the rest. I was reminded of the dance at the wedding I had attended so long ago. Itachi had danced with me like this. Everyone seemed to feel awkward at first until I was laughing as hard as before and enjoying myself. Soon enough, everyone was laughing as hard as I was at the game. Itachi got the score of two 9's and a 10.

Kisame, of course, got "Blue" by Eiffel 65. He absolutely killed my lungs from laughing when he did the worm. We were all just dying as we watched. He did the moonwalk, the robot, and every other weird dance known to mankind. He got a perfect score due to humor.

Next was Madi. She got "Hypocrite" by Skye Sweetnam. She was smirking at the song he chose for her. She was head banging and singing along with the lyrics. She got the same score as Itachi.

Zetsu got a song I had never heard of and it majorly creeped us out. He got three 3's and a 2. It was horrible and scary to watch.

It was my turn. I chose "Brick by Boring Brick" by Paramore. I hopped around the room and laughed as I did my crappy dancing. It seemed to fit me. Everyone laughed as I did the Macarena and diver dance. I did everything I could think of. I even dirty danced. I got several whistles, which only encouraged me. I was pretending to do the drums on the wall with my hands. I air guitared and made some weird faces. I got the same score as Itachi and Madi.

It was clear that Kisame and his hilarious dance had won. Everyone was in a great mood when Tobi picked the next song. We all froze as it began to play. "Tobi…?" He laughed maniacally. "TOBI LIKE THIS SONG!" I twitched as I recognized it as "Caramelldansen". Everyone seemed too stunned to react as Tobi began to dance. I felt my arms go up and get into the position for the dance. After that, everyone seemed just as pulled to dance.

We were all dancing and about ready to freak out. Tobi was laughing and I began to sing the lyrics. Everyone seemed to catch on that this was fun and we began to really get into it. Madi and I decided to see who could dance the fastest. Madi won. We had a great time until the song went off and another came on. Everyone looked confused.

That was until Deidara and I pressed out backs together and began to sing "U.G.L.Y, you ain't got no alibi. You ugly!" Soon enough Tobi was in and Itachi was smirking and singing quietly. Konan, Madi, and I were leading the song and giggling as the rest of the Akatsuki clapped and shouted with the song.

Of course this didn't meet Akatsuki standards, but everyone seemed eager for the humor. After all that had happened, we needed the humor. Of course, this most likely would never happen again. "Get busy, get busy, get busy, get busy!"

We all fell on the floor laughing. Itachi was leaning on the wall and smirking at me. I waved happily and hopped up and over the laughing members. Someone shouted, "Get a room!" Itachi smirked. "Why? So you don't have to watch me do this?"

He pressed his lips to mine gently. Deidara groaned and covered his eyes. "Aww, come on, Itachi…" Tobi rolled over and crossed his arms. "That isn't even a real kiss!" The others heard that and began to chant, "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her!" I felt a blush creep over my cheeks again and Madi changed the song.

Konan was the loudest. "Kiss her, Itachi!" I blushed and he smirked at them. "You want me to kiss her?" Everyone belted out a laugh or a comment. Itachi grinned and, before I realized exactly what was happening, he really kissed me. I felt dizzy on my feet at the intensity. Itachi never let up, either. I staggered and swayed and he held me up. Everyone cheered and laughed. Somewhere in the room I could hear a bottle pop open.

Itachi pulled away and I was forced to lean on him to keep from falling to the floor. Madi giggled and she drank a big swig of the alcoholic drink that was being passed around. I even got some in my mouth before Itachi took it away. He didn't drink any.

I watched as everyone drank and drank until they were all insanely drunk… other than myself and Itachi. I grinned and pointed over to where Madi and Kisame were dancing like morons, then to Deidara who was making an epic showing of denying Tobi his love before passing out on the floor. Konan was sitting on my bed and chirping about something to do with paper butterflies.

I smiled and felt as Itachi pulled me from the room and down the hall to the kitchen. He then began to pull out all the medicine we had and put it on the counter. They were assembled into neat piles for when they all came back in the morning with hangovers. I watched with a smile as he turned back to me. "I couldn't leave you in there to get drunk. You say stupid things when you are drunk." I rolled my eyes. "I don't drink much at all." He sighed. "You shouldn't drink at all." I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms.

Itachi picked me up and set me on the counter so I was now about half a foot taller than he was. He smirked up at me. "At least you don't turn into a-" "DON'T say anything else," I growled, failing to mask the smile that burst onto my face. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss me. I loved parties with the Akatsuki.

End song: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore


	117. Chapter 117

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 117**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet or Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore

Ah, the lovely little present always left for those who drink until they pass out… Itachi and I watched as Deidara was the first in the kitchen this morning. He had deep bags under his eyes and was rather slumped over. He took his medicine, nodded thanks to Itachi, and dropped down at the table with us. I shoved him some of the horrible liquid known as coffee. I wasn't fond of coffee unless it was sweetened into almost a caramel.

Deidara drank it all before pounding his head into the table multiple times. Itachi shoved a pillow under his head and Deidara groaned into it. "What was I thinking?" I giggled at him and he flipped me the bird. It only made me giggle harder. Deidara drank another three cups before he seemed to relax.

Konan and Madi came in next. Madi was perfectly fine. She didn't even seem to have a hangover. Konan, on the other hand, looked as bad off as Deidara. She took her medicine and sat beside Deidara to drink her coffee. I smiled at her and she grinned weakly over the top of the mug.

Tobi hopped into the room as fresh as Madi. He tackled me out of my seat and giggled. "Morgan and Itachi stayed together last night!" Itachi glared at him and plucked Tobi off of me. "If you need proof we did not, check Madi's room and then mine. Morgan stayed in Madi's room whilst you were passed out due to too much beer." I smiled at him. "You wish Tobi was telling the truth." He did not deny that.

The other members slowly filed in, recovered, and trudged back to their rooms to sleep. I sighed and decided to watch a movie. Itachi sat beside me and I began to watch some random action movie that was on TV. Pein walked in, turned the TV off, and left back for his room. Madi and Tobi were playing in his room.

Itachi and I walked outside. I glanced around and walked over to the stream. Itachi followed and watched as I folded my pants up to my thighs and waded into the shallow water. I smiled as the tiny little fish swarmed around me. I played with them and swirled my fingers on the calm surface, waiting for them to attack my fingers thinking they were food.

I giggled at them and decided I no longer cared if I was wet or not. I fell back and into the water. I let it swirl around me as I came back up and laughed at Itachi's blank expression. He was thinking. That was obvious. That was his 'I'm thinking about grave matters that do not involve Morgan' face. It was that face that had been his mask before I came. I sighed and splashed him with water. His eyes widened and his expression changed to the 'what the heck did Morgan just do?!' face.

I smirked at him and waded into the deeper water. It was now up to my stomach, the current tugging gently at me. I challenged him with another splash and a confident smirk. He sighed and began to strip out of his cloak. Oops, I probably should have taken mine off too. Too late now. He kept on only his Akatsuki pants and shoes before walking in and over to me, dunking me under the water and smirking as I flailed underwater.

I pushed him off and rose up. A challenge flashed in my eyes and I tackled him. He allowed himself to fall back and we both went under the water. I surfaced and glared at him as he dunked me again. I shot up and coughed a moment before splashing him. He was playing nicely with me like I used to play with my friends back home, even if he was so much older than me.

I froze. He was quite a bit older than me. Even if I looked near eighteen… I was younger than that in my world. Itachi was close to twenty-one. I looked away as I counted the difference in years. If I was fifteen in my world, due to my birthday passing, then he was seven years older than me. I blanked out in shock. It had never occurred to me that there was any difference at all. Did he think I was too young…? Was he only playing like this with me so I could play like others my age? What did he think of me?

Itachi pressed his hand to my shoulder and I jerked back up to meet his eyes in shock. He frowned, concerned by my reaction. "What is it?" he whispered. I looked down uncomfortably at our reflections in the water. "I was thinking of the age gap…" Itachi sighed and mussed up my hair. "Since when does age matter? It's not long between us anyways." I felt a blush creep across my face and I kept looking away. His face turned serious and his expression of 'deep thought' was visible for a moment before he shrugged and looked away. "Not that I would care if you were ten years younger than me."

I blinked and he smirked slightly. I felt the shock grip me again and I blushed. He shoved me under the water. I rose up spluttering in shock. He grinned in triumph, crossing his arms and looking down at me. "You let your guard down." I blinked and smirked. "I guess you win this battle… but the war is far from over!" Itachi shifted into a position to fight. I jumped on top of the water and felt my chakra hold me there. I shed my cloak and ditched it on the bank. I quickly stepped into the pose I had been taught.

Itachi raised an eyebrow and I ran at him. I kicked at him and he easily maneuvered out of the way. I ducked down and punched at him. He slipped away and landed in a defensive position. I smirked. "You can't beat me with just defense!" Itachi shrugged with a sly smirk. I grinned and lunged forward, trying to land a punch on his shoulder. Itachi swerved under my arm and came up behind me. He pressed his hands to my stomach and his lips to my neck. "I win." I smirked and trip him so we fell backwards and he landed under first.

I stood and laughed at him as he grinned playfully. I helped him up and he sighed. "I guess we'll just settle for a tie." I shook my head in mock displeasure, a smile breaking through my act. "And here I thought you weren't going to take it easy on me, Itachi." He moved forward towards me about the time that Tobi and Madi found us. Madi screamed and covered her eyes. "PUT ON A SHIRT, ITACHI!" I blinked and looked over Itachi. I hadn't really paid much attention to his… lack of shirt-ness until now. I felt a blush creep over my face.

Itachi jumped out of the water and pulled the net shirt over his head. Embarrassed that I'd wanted to keep watching, I forced myself to look away without looking too obvious. He noticed anyway and smirked. I climbed out and Madi shouted, "I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THAT!" I grinned and decided to pick on both her and Tobi. I grinned smugly and slung an arm around their shoulders. "Then you would have been really upset if you'd seen what he took off when you all passed out at the party." Tobi and Madi both fell to the ground in shock and shouted, "WHAAAAT?!" Itachi sighed, having pulled his cloak back on. "She was teasing you." They nodded in barely suppressed relief. They were so gullible.

Madi sighed. "We are going to the store." "Why?" "Because Morgan needs to make noodle stuff for dinner!" Tobi shouted excitedly. I smiled and started walking towards the base. "I guess I can do that!" Itachi nodded and followed me inside to change. I did it quietly and grabbed my ring so I wouldn't be hurt by leaving it here. I met the others, including the now-dry Itachi, outside the base.

Tobi tossed me the bag of money and we all moved to begin the hour-long walk to the closest village. Tobi warped us a few minutes after we were inside the woods. Madi seemed to be shocked but only whispered, "I knew there was a reason you were here, Tobi… Mysterious~!" I grinned at her and we stepped into the closest store. Inside, Tobi and Itachi split off to go look at other things. Madi followed me.

Two guys began to follow us. Madi turned, glared at them, and then pulled me after her. They tried to stop us. Madi quickly kicked them in a bad place and dragged me after her. I admonished her quietly as she tugged my through the aisles. "What if they didn't mean us any harm?" Madi rolled her eyes. "Even if they were trying to sell me the coolest shirt ever, stalkers are bad." I sighed before turning and quickly pointing to her right. "Oh look, a stalker!" She pivoted and nailed Tobi in the mask. He dropped straight back onto the floor. I giggled and she quickly dragged me after her and into a different store.

To calm her down after that, we talked about yesterday's party and then about how everyone had come in with their hangovers. It was going well and we were having a lot of fun. She then asked, "So you and Itachi really didn't try anything?" I sighed and stopped walking, forcing her to turn and see my honest expression. "Nothing at all. I don't do things like that." Madi looked confused. "Why not?" "Religion," I replied. She paused and asked, "What kinda religion?" "Christianity." "Don't you practice it then? I've never seen you… well, not that I've heard of it before." I tilted my head in thought, thinking of the best way to explain. "I don't have our book to read from, but I do pray every now and then, like when I lost control… or when I did something I should not have done." She raised her eyebrows incredulously. "So you're just forgiven? Just like that?" I smiled painfully. "I hope I am… but…" "Well, why not just disobey once more?" I grinned and started walking forward again. "I really and truly do stick to this rule, Madi…" "What is the rule, exactly?" I smiled and turned to face her. "You have to marry first, Madi." Her eyes widened.

We gathered the ingredients and headed to the checkout. The man at the register looked like the man on the peanut bottle and I was too entranced to focus. Madi had to pay him. We sent our purchases to the base and began to search for the guys. We found them outside on a bench. And there was Itachi's 'what was he thinking?!' face. I frowned. "What did Tobi do?" Itachi glanced to me, clearly stressed. "HE TURNED ON THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM IN THE TOYS DEPARTMENT!" I looked to Tobi in disbelief. "Seriously?" He nodded cheerfully. I sighed. "You shouldn't have done that, moron." Madi and I each hit him over the head.

"Well now that this is over… let's head back." Tobi took us back to the base. I walked into the kitchen to see Deidara and Kisame groaning at the table. I sighed and began to cook for them. Within minutes, the rest of the Akatsuki had arrived and were watching me cook. I glared at them and they all walked away like kicked puppies.

Madi, Itachi, and Tobi remained as if they had won the right by accompanying me to the market. I glanced to them and Itachi moved to assist me. Madi, on the other hand, knew to stay back. She burnt EVERYTHING. Tobi just didn't seem interested, so he left.

Madi glanced between Itachi and me and seemed to see SOME sort of mood and darted out after Tobi. I sighed and cut the vegetables quickly without hurting myself like I used to. Itachi, on the other hand, slipped and cut his finger. I jerked at the sight and quickly healed it. He seemed distracted. I sighed. "Tobi did not ruin Christmas for any children, Itachi… calm down." I had meant it as a joke, but he seemed truly out of it.

I set his hand down and he kept leaning on the counter, lost in his thoughts. His 'thinking of serious things that involve Morgan…' face showed through like the sun. I wondered for a moment what it was, but ignored it so I could finish cooking. The smell attracted the others like flies and I delivered their food. I had thrown away the bit that Itachi had bled on, so we were short even without Kakuzu and Hidan here. I handed Itachi a plate and walked back towards my room.

It didn't take much time to clean. My mind kept reverting back to Itachi and I looked around for anything else to keep my mind off of it. I began to clean every room in the base. I got everyone's done pretty fast and had the laundry in the washing room in a box. I walked into Itachi room, the last one, and began to pick up. I tossed the clothes into the pile and started to put books back in their places. I picked a red one up from under his sheets and moved to place it on the shelf when a paper fell out. I reached down to pick it up.

It was a picture. I didn't remember it being taken, but I looked at it anyway. I was talking to Madi with a smile on my face as I walked down the hall. Deidara was behind us, grinning. I examined it in confusion. Why did Itachi have this? I frowned and hid it back in the book before taking the laundry into the laundry room.

I heard a low growl and looked up in curiosity. I peeked out of the laundry window and saw Itachi training outside. I slipped through the gap and snuck up behind him. He was talking to himself as he pulverized a tree. "I can't believe it… I can't believe I forgot to ask something like that! This changes everything!" "What changes what?" I asked. He jerked around in shock. I frowned. "You were listening in at the shop, weren't you?" He nodded, embarrassed, and frowned. "I knew I should have gotten us married at your friend's wedding."

I felt a blush creep over my cheeks and I giggled. "I still wouldn't have agreed!" He looked away, uncomfortable. I sighed and moved closer to him. "If age doesn't matter, neither does this." "But I-!" he blurted. I looked at him questioningly. "What?"

He paced a moment and I noticed the rest of the Akatsuki walk outside just in time for them all to hear Itachi shout, "MARRY ME NOW!"

… … …

Itachi: … Did I deserve to be hit?

Madi: Yeah, you kind of walked into that one.

Pein: *snicker* She turned you down flat!

Konan: *sigh* She's always been a bit the overreacting type…

Madi: She's funny!

Tobi: You can't get married without dating. That's icky.

Itachi: Yeah… I was really just shocked, I guess.

Madi: … You asked her to marry you at someone else's wedding?

Itachi: …

Everyone: *sigh*

End Song: Fences by Paramore

-!-

Merry Christmas/HappyHanukkah/Happy Holidays, everyone! I'd like to give a quick shout out to Triscribe. She writes some truly excellent fanfics on this site. Star Wars, Transformers, Young Justice, and Harry Potter to mention a few, and I love the humor she always adds. Do me a favor and check out her work, it's my Christmas present to y'all and her!

xoxo, purpleheart3000


	118. Chapter 118

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 118**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Madi sighed in boredom and glanced to me. "So, Morgan-san?" I frowned at the honorific and raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, Madi-dono?" She made a face at me. I grinned. Madi sighed and asked, "What are we going to do today?" I flopped onto my back on the living room floor. Madi followed my example.

"Let's freak some people out," I said. Madi rolled over and eyed me with a mix of excitement and apprehension. "You can really do that to them?" I nodded. "Okay… so when in front of Kisame, mess with your headband absentmindedly. It will drive him insane." Madi seemed to like it, so we sat on the couch and waited.

Kisame walked in a little later and flopped down between us to watch TV. I gave Madi the signal. We each watched the TV boredly and messed with our headbands. Kisame, without thinking about it, lifted his arm to fix his. I continued messing with mine and Madi stopped. Kisame watched me finger it and he touched his own. Madi began again and moved hers up and down. Kisame did the same. We carried on for about an hour watching him freak over his headband.

Itachi walked in, saw what we were doing, and rescued the poor shark by sending him to his room where he could not be humiliated.

We sighed at him and he sat on the couch, giving us a disapproving look. He seemed to be there more for keeping us from bothering anyone else. We groaned and Madi slammed her head back into the couch in boredom. I smiled at her kindly before leaning onto him. "Itachi…" He looked to me. I gave him my best pout. "Why do you always have to ruin our fun?" "I don't see what's so fun about it. Kisame had to get therapy last time."

I shrugged and sat back up to watch the TV. Madi jumped around Itachi and landed on my other side. She began to flip through the channels. I grabbed the remote from her hands. Oh yes… here was the perfect way to get rid of Itachi. I let the channel play. Madi and I yawned and leaned on each other so we could close our eyes and not have to watch. We hid the remote between our bodies and waited.

Itachi glanced between us and the TV. He looked for the remote and couldn't find it. He sighed and decided to watch the show. We grinned. Itachi's eyes bugged out and he leaned forward towards the kid's television show. We watched as the show took effect on him. Everyone knows those things are addicting. They brainwash you into watching them so you can't leave. Madi and I quietly slipped out and around the entranced Itachi.

We slid down the hall and found Deidara munching on something as he walked back towards his room. I nodded and played the Jaws song. Madi followed and we ducked into shadows to hide ourselves. Deidara glanced around when he heard the music. "Morgan?! Madi?!" We continue to hide where he can't find us. He begins walking again, pretending it was in his head.

We got closer and made the music faster. Deidara jerked around and his food fell from his hands to the floor. "I knew I wasn't imagining things! You two, come out!" We hid and watched as Pein walked down the hall. He sighed and shook his head as he walked by. "Don't talk to yourself, Deidara. It makes you appear… should I say… brain dead." Madi and I giggled and watched as Pein left. Deidara growled. "I don't care! Do what you want! I won't get scared."

We stood up just behind him. Before he turned around, we transformed into two little girls around the age of six wearing black dresses. We had black hair, red eyes, red lips, and white skin. Deidara turned around. He yelped and took a step back and away from us. "We've been waiting for you, Deidara," Madi whispered evilly. I mimicked her voice. "It's time to play, Deidara." Deidara was starting to freak out. "Morgan! Madi! Change back!" We did not. We took a few steps forward.

Madi spoke again in that evil and emotionless way. "Play with us, Deidara." "We've been waiting for a long time." Deidara looked shocked and continued backing up with wide eyes. "H-Hey! Knock it off!" Madi raised a pale hand to point at him, and I did the same. "It's time to play." "It's time to die." We used genjutsu on him and let the sounds of eerie horror movies play in the background. We used the jutsu to make it appear that our heads had turned all the way around. Fangs grew from our mouths. We cackled and hissed at him. "Time to die, Deidara~!"

Deidara shrieked and began to run down the hall. We grinned at each other and made ourselves pop up where he was going to turn. "Going somewhere, Deidara?" He turned a different way and sprinted away. We met him and stopped in his path. "But you can't leave before you play with us." Deidara looked scared silly. He spun around us and we grabbed onto the back of his cloak. He yelped and looked back slowly, and we said, "Play with us forever, Deidara."

He screamed bloody murder and we released him. He ran down the corridor to the living room like his life depended on it. On the other hand, Itachi came sprinting our way looking freaked out. We watched as he passed us. We then watched a giant Barney the dinosaur come chasing him. We blinked in shock. As soon as the purple dinosaur left our sights, we saw Konan come walking our way. She smirked.

We waved, still in our child bodies. She returns the smirk and looked down the hall where Deidara had disappeared. "I got him good, eh?" We nodded and grinned. "You with Deidara?" she asked. "That would be our doing." Konan smiled. "Good job. Tobi's after Zetsu." Madi giggled. "We got Kisame earlier." About three minutes of waiting later, Zetsu sprinted through the hallway with a giant bird hopping after him and tweeting. Zetsu screamed as he ran past us. "I AM NOT A BUG! DON'T EAT ME!"

We jumped in surprise as Tobi stopped beside us. "All that's left is Pein-sama~!" We both gulped. About that time, Deidara and Itachi came running from opposite directions and slammed into each other. Both sat up, faced each other, then screamed. We watch. Tobi produced a bag of candy from somewhere. We all ate it and watched as Deidara saw Madi and me standing there in our child forms. He screamed and jumped up so fast he tripped Itachi. Itachi face planted into the floor as Barney caught up and stated, "I only want a hug, Itachi." Itachi did the same move as Deidara and took off sprinting.

We watched in amusement as Zetsu came running by again. Pein stepped out into the hall and took one long look at the chaos unfolding. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Konan grinned and we watched as Deidara fell straight into him. Pein sprawled beneath him on the floor. Madi and I walked over to Deidara. "There you are, Deidara. We've been waiting for you." "Is this a friend of yours? We would rather just play with you."

Deidara curled into Pein's chest and cried. We grinned and gave each other high fives. Pein looked annoyed as he threw Deidara off. "This is not funny! Call off the genjutsu!" We sighed and let our illusion fade. Konan let Barney poof gone as the two darted around the corner. Tobi let the giant bird out of a window and waved goodbye.

Zetsu, Deidara, and Itachi looked scared stiff. We grinned at them. About that time, we all heard something down the hall. There was Barney, back again. Konan looked shocked. "It isn't mine!" Barney came running at us and Itachi yelped as he started to run again. Barney followed.

We watched as two girls EXACTLY like Madi and I walked up so Deidara could see them. "You made us wait, Deidara." Deidara squealed like a little girl and took off running. The girls walked in time together down the hall after him. "You cannot escape us." They smirked at us as they passed. "Nice work. We can take it from here." We nodded and saluted. They returned it.

A bird flew through the window and pecked at Zetsu. We watched as he began to run too. We all looked at each other in confusion. This wasn't my genjutsu.

About then, something else came down the hallway. I squinted. "Is that… Voldemort?" We watched as he approached Tobi. They stared each other down. Tobi spoke in a gruff voice, "I have waited for you to come." The man with the wand got into position. "Neither can live before the other dies." Tobi nodded and pulled his own WAND from his cloak and the two shot sparks at one another and disappeared down the corridor.

Pein then let his jaw drop when the Burger King man ran up and pointed at him. Pein began to run, screaming, down the hall.

I shook my head in shock as an eleven year old Harry Potter pulled on my cloak (I had changed my appearance back to normal). I glanced down at him, and he gave me a huge smile. "Come on, Morgan! We have to go before the Hungarian Horntail gets here." I blinked. "What?" And then a huge dragon came into the hallway. Konan screamed and took off running with Harry Potter. The dragon chased them. I shouted, "I WILL RIDE YOU!" and I ran after the beastly dragon.

-!-

Madi watched Morgan chase down the dragon. She lifted a piece of paper from her pocket. "Scare Kisame… check." She went on and checked the names. "Itachi is scared… Deidara is going to pee himself… Tobi is busy. I suppose that works… Konan is probably hiding in a closet about now… Pein is a little occupied. And Morgan is having the time of her life! Good to go!"

She hid away the notebook just in time to watch Konan run shrieking down the hall. Harry Potter was on a broomstick flying away, and he made it out of the window that the bird came in. Madi smiled to herself and waited.

Morgan, riding the huge dragon, shot by as she whooped, "THANK YOU, MADI!" Madi waved as the dragon took out of the window. She wiped her hands on her pants and whistled as she made her way to Kisame's room. "No sense in letting Kisame get away from me, too." She pulled her arms behind her back and began to walk. She whistled as he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway. Her voice calls to him, "You're next~."

End Song: Fences by Paramore


	119. Chapter 119

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 119**

Theme song: Comatose by Skillet

New Saga Title: Not Getting Left Behind

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Fist met wood and indentions were left in the perfect mold of her hands. Her blue eyes flared up, almost seeming like blue fire. It was even more dangerous than the red blazes. Her mouth roared her fury and agony. "YOU CANNOT BE TELLING THE TRUTH! TELL ME YOU ARE LYING!"

She lashed out and knocked a vase from the desk in anger. Pein calmly met her eyes and replied, "I know exactly what I said." Her shoulders shook. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Her eyes welled with tears and she tried not to look away. "You can't do this to me! I…" She dropped to her knees and punched the floor. "Why can't you let me go?!"

Pein sighed and rubbed his temples. "Hidan and Kakuzu told me that they did not want you there. It was their decision. I shall honor it." Her mind screamed in protest and she pounded the floor again in anger. "I DEMAND YOU LET ME GO!" Pein shook his head firmly. "You are not yet Akatsuki."

Morgan stood. Her glare made even Pein flinch. "I WILL go," she said with venom. She stormed from the room, her eyes scorching those who had eavesdropped. Every Akatsuki eye looked down to their feet. Morgan whirled around to face them all. "I AM AS GOOD AS ANY OF YOU." She ran from the hallway and outside.

Pein sighed and began to pick up the broken glass of the vase. Konan and Itachi walked in. Konan started to help with the glass. "That went better than expected," Pein muttered. Itachi heard a loud crack from outside, and the base's main tunnel collapsed. "You spoke too soon." Pein covered his eyes with his hand. "That girl…"

Itachi looked out of the window in time to see a hundred huge chakra spikes explode into the air. "She's not happy about this at all." Madi, from the hallway, asked, "What is she so upset over?" Itachi glanced back to her. "She wishes to go with Hidan and Kakuzu to get their Jinchurikki." Madi frowned and looked out the window at the spikes. "Why can't she?" Pein stood, glass carefully balanced in his hand. "They refused her. They wished to do this mission without her."

Madi looked confused. "Why is she this upset?" The room was silent. "You weren't here when Sasori died," Itachi said quietly. "She's afraid that she'll be right again… She thinks they will die. She wants to be there with them." Madi glanced at Itachi hesitantly. "Sasori?" Pein laughed weakly. "Those two were very close. He died right in front of her. She took it very hard. She does not want anyone else to die."

Madi looked down. "Why not just let her go?" Pein shook his head and began walking towards the trash can. "As I said, they do not want her there." Madi whined and stepped closer to him. "Can't she just go? Can't she at least watch from afar?" Pein glared, letting the shards fall into the bin. "She must learn discipline… as must you."

-!-

I leaned on my door in silence. My open window was the only source of cool air that even tried to cool my anger. No one was allowed in. I promised whoever tried that I would thrust a spike straight through their chests. No one tried to enter. That was… through the door anyway.

Kisame slipped in through the window. He held a white flag in his hand. I let him approach me. Kisame knelt in front of me and sighed. "You've made a mess, kiddo." I glared at him, and his eyes softened. "Itachi doesn't know much about how to make you feel any better. I'm not very good at it myself, but… I cannot sit and watch you like this." His eyes were honest, showing that he cared and his voice soothed me.

I let my eyes fall. He tried to catch my eyes again. "You can let it out… I won't tell. I won't try and refrain you." "You… won't tell Itachi?" I whispered. Kisame shook his head and extended a hand towards me. I smiled slightly and tackled him in a hug. I couldn't stop the tears. "They are all going to die! They are going to die and I won't be there!" Kisame closed his eyes and hugged me firmly. "It's okay… let it out."

-!-

Itachi glanced at Morgan's locked door. Madi sighed. "Kisame is…" Itachi nodded. "I know… he's in there…" "Are you sure you don't mind?" Itachi looked away. "It bugs me… but at least he can meet her eyes." Madi frowned. "What do you mean?" Itachi let his eyes fall. "I talked Hidan and Kakuzu into saying no to her request." Madi's eyes widened. "No!" Itachi closed his eyes. "If she got hurt again… I might…" Madi huffed and leaned on the wall. "You are making a mistake. Morgan will find out, and…" Itachi nodded. "I know."

Madi stood from the wall and glared at him. "I have a lot of words I'd like to say to you." Itachi frowned and opened his eyes, revealing the pain he wasn't quick enough to conceal. "I'd love to hear them." Madi followed him down the hall, cussing him out. Itachi took it with grace and thanks.

-!-

Kisame helped her stand. Morgan, eyes red from tears, thanked him. "Kisame… Thanks for coming." Kisame looked back from the doorway. "Don't mention it. You do more for us than you think." He turned, straightened his slightly damp clothes, and walked from the room.

Morgan straightened and made it to the bathroom. She stood under the shower and let the emotions fade away. She was determined to find the duo before they… She closed that thought off. Focus. The facts:

-She was back to full strength

-Pein had her ring

-She could not leave the base without her ring

-She had allies

Morgan closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her forehead. Itachi and Pein were not going to even try. Madara might be excited to play in such a "fun" scheme. He might be willing to help… then again he wanted her to learn obedience. Kisame and Madi were on her side. Konan, Morgan was sure, would stick with Pein. She wished for a moment that Sasori were here, but pushed it away. Deidara would help.

She left the water and changed into her Akatsuki pants and the Akatsuki uniform net shirt. She pulled the pants up so her calves could be seen. She placed the ninja shoes on her feet and tended to her hair. She tied it up in a bushy ponytail. She glanced at the circles under her eyes in the mirror.

A warm cloth pressed to them and she walked from the bathroom and into her room. She had a plan, but she would need help. She sighed and let the warmth sink in and hide the red puffy sight of her eyes. She stepped into the hall.

Her fingers tapped on the door in front of her. It opened and Deidara's head poked out. "Morgan!" She nodded and he lets her inside. The smell of clay was breathed into the very walls of the dark room. He has been making explosives. She watched as he sat down in the floor with a pile of clay. He looked at the mess in embarrassment. "I was practicing…" She nodded to him and sat beside him.

"Deidara, I came to ask you something…" His eyes meet mine. "Yeah? What is it?" I smiled to him and looked at him seriously. "I want you to help me…" Deidara's eyebrow rose. "You mean escaping, yeah? You want to go after Hidan and Kakuzu." I nodded. "I plan on asking Madi and Kisame as well."

Deidara let out a breath and asked, "You aren't asking Itachi?" I scoffed. "You know his responses as well as I do." Deidara smirked. "I'm in. What do you need me to do?" I grinned and whispered my plan. He chuckled and nodded. "Game on."

-!-

Madi and Kisame were both ready to go. Deidara saluted us as he ninja jumped over to his area of the base. He let three huge bombs go off. The tunnel, threatening to capsize, called Tobi and Itachi from their rooms. The three began to try and support the roof. Pein and Konan came running right as another bomb went off. Deidara shouted, "This clay had something in it! My supplier did this!" Zetsu and the others all moved to help.

I smirked and Madi moved on with her section of my plan. She darted into Pein's office and opened the case with my ring inside. She tossed it out of the window. I easily caught it and placed it on my finger. I took off at a sprint with Kisame at my side. The plan was going smoothly.

Even thirty minutes after we began running, Deidara's explosives were still going off. I knew Madara would come at any moment. I had to get him to see how determined I was. I closed my eyes and let Kisame lead me. He knew the area where Hidan and Kakuzu were supposed to be…

I sped up and Kisame matched my pace. It was a total of twenty more minutes before Madara showed. Kisame slid to a halt. I frowned and stepped in front to face him. "Let us go." The man behind the mask sighed. "You both seem quite eager. To think, all of you would just turn on me… Ah well. I need your hands. Even if the other two can handle themselves… if you are there I do not have to worry for their deaths. And even if they die, I do not need them." "I have your permission then?" I demanded. He nodded. "It seems so." He turned and began walking back. "It was Itachi who wanted you to stay in the first place."

I ignored him and began to run with Kisame. Kisame followed, eyeing me warily. "Madara-sama likes you." I smiled slightly. "I seem to have a lot of friends in high places." Kisame chuckled. "You are friends with the entire Akatsuki. You are allies with many villages. You have more people who trust you than you think."

I smiled at him and rushed forward. Kisame laughed at my eagerness. "I suppose you will deal with your man when we return?" I laughed in return. "Of course!" Kisame smiled before looking at me gently. "He only wants you safe." I smiled softly. "I know… and that's exactly why I think he needs to take a chill pill. He taught me himself. There isn't anything to worry about anymore." Kisame chuckled. "Because you handled yourself so gracefully in the Orochimaru fight." I grinned. "I have you."

Kisame groaned. "Itachi really will kill me when I get home." "You said home," I said in surprise. Kisame grinned. "You make it home. Without you, it's only a building filled with people." I glared playfully in happiness and asked, "So am I the mother? I sure hope not. You're all a lot older than I am." Kisame looked thoughtful.

"You are more like a child. You hold everyone together." I smiled. "You are SO not my dad." Kisame laughed. Everyone seemed to fit somewhere in our messed up family. Now, even the others were considering the base a home… Too bad Deidara'd now blown half of it up.

End Song: Fences by Paramore


	120. Chapter 120

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 120**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Author-chan

Well I know you people hate me interrupting and all… So I will make this brief. (Most probably just skip to the next bit anyways… ) I want to know… Who do you think is your favorite character from my story? You know… Itachi, Madi, Morgan, Drew, Hidori, Daichi (yes he is alive), and so forth…? The poll is up on my author page!

Really Super Awesome Black Ice Chapter Go!

Trees flashed by. My breath was calm even after these hours of running. Kisame was watching me as if I would suddenly turn ill. "Morgan, maybe we should slow down. Even if you don't feel tired now, you will later." I glanced to him and let my eyes fall. "Okay."

We slowed to a stop and I dropped to my knees. I closed my eyes. Kisame frowned and tossed me something from his cloak. I caught it and inspected it. It was a piece of food was covered in plastic wrap. I smiled at him and ate it without a word until I was done. "Thanks, Kisame."

He nodded and I drank from the canteen at my side. Kisame groaned and I glanced over to him. His eyes were on the sky. "He sent a hawk…" I looked up as well to see Itachi's brown hawk, Shuriken (who got about as much action as a dead turtle), lower and aim to land beside me.

Kisame rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Poor bird. I doubt this is his second mission in three years…" I grimaced as the bird tripped and smacked into my chest. I sighed. "His crows get more action than this one." Shuriken pecked my hands and I untied the note from his leg. I rubbed his wings down and opened the letter.

Kisame looked over my shoulder to read it with me.

 _Morgan and Kisame,_

 _There are SEVERAL words I'd love to say to you. But I will not. I sent this message to tell you that Madi and I are being sent after you. Our mission is to bring you back. Madara told me to send a hawk as a messenger. We're going to give you plenty of time. As soon as you get back, you two are both dead._

 _Itachi_

The poor bird hopped onto my shoulder. I sighed and pet him gently. "I'm surprised he sent you." He gave me a happy hoot and spread his wings. I smiled and stood. "Are you ready to head back to Itachi?" I asked. The bird shook his head no. Poor thing wouldn't get out again before he died of old age. I smiled at him and gave Kisame a nod.

He and I leaped up into the trees. Shuriken followed us gleefully. Kisame sighed. "We need to move fast. Pein will know if the others slow down." I nodded and ran faster. The bird kept up easily.

-!-

Itachi paused by a stream. Madi followed and the two stopped to refill their canteens. Madi sighed. "Do you think your bird has found them yet?" Itachi frowned. "I'm sure he has. He was as eager to see Morgan as I am now." Madi looked thoughtful as she screwed the lid back on her canteen. "We have to give them time." Itachi nodded. "I have a plan of my own to stall time." "And?" Itachi smirked. "We are going to go on a wild goose chase." "…Sounds like a load of crap, but let's do it," Madi chuckled.

The two ninja stood and ran in a wrong direction.

-!-

Hidan: Sheesh… It looks to me like Morgan must miss us a lot to run away from them like that!

Kakuzu: Hn…

Hidan: *pulls arms back behind head* She thinks we're going to die? Madness. I sure ain't dying.

Kakuzu: I do not plan on it either… but she was correct about Sasori's death.

Hidan: So? Sasori was Sasori. I'm not going to even come close to dying!

Kakuzu: All the same… Pein wants us to send her back…

Hidan: Bah I'd rather have her here! She's way more fun than you.

Kakuzu: Watch yourself Hidan… Or I might make Morgan's prediction come true.

Hidan: If it weren't for Itachi… she'd be here now.

Kakuzu: She's on her way all the same.

Hidan: I can't wait!

Kakuzu: *soft chuckle* Neither can I.

Both stepped into the underground tunnels after their Jinchurikki. They grinned at one another and moved ever so quickly after their prey.

-!-

I slid to a halt. Shuriken was tired and panting. We were running too hard for his wings to keep up. Kisame landed beside me and the bird dropped into my lap. Kisame's gaze swept the area before he nodded and sat down. "Safe. Let's rest here for a bit." I frowned. "How long?" Kisame hummed in thought. "Two hours. You can train for a while if you want." I nodded. Clearly he was only tired due to the speed I was running at. He had to use more chakra than I did… and though he had more chakra than I did, it was tiring to use it that fast.

I smiled at him and sat. "Where are you in your training, anyway?" he asked. I frowned. I hadn't thought about my level in a while. "I've been experimenting with my jutsu." Kisame sighed. "Yeah… You've been messing with your Kekkei Genkai for ages now." I had never really considered it a Kekkei Genkai, something that was passed down from generation to generation, since I seemed to have gotten it from…

I frowned and stood. He smirked. "Let's see what you're working on!" I nodded and let a thin sheet separate Kisame from me. His eyebrows rose. "An invisibility jutsu?" I smirked and moved sideways so he could see it slightly. "It's more like genjutsu." I turned it where he could see both me and the thin sheet. "I can make it refract even the tiniest amount of light and seem to be anything." I made it look like a giant fireball was flying at him. He flinched and seemed ready to dodge. I changed the image to make it seem as though Itachi and Madi had found us. He looked impressed.

"I can move this sheet however I want." I turned the screen sideways again. It was as thin as a sheet of paper. "An enemy will think that this is genjutsu and might try to cut off chakra to the brain. If they do that… then I have the advantage." Kisame whistled long and high. "Well, what if they know it isn't genjutsu?" I smiled at him. "These things hide chakra by overwhelming the area so much with it that I cannot be seen for my chakra. I can attack that way. Kisame was stunned. "You would have an advantage over Itachi." I frowned. "If I make enough of them, maybe. But just making an image here is hard enough right now."

Kisame walked around me in a circe, inspecting my jutsu. "How long have you been working on this?" "Since before Orochimaru. But I always failed. I've just begun to pick it back up. This is incredibly basic now."

Kisame nodded and I dropped back down to sit by him. Shuriken had been asleep for the lesson. I leaned back to nap against the tree behind me. Kisame promised to keep watch and I felt myself blank out. Dang Kisame… tricks me into using my jutsu so I'd be tired. He's clever.

… … …

 _I walk alone. No one is beside me as I march across a lone and empty field. I wasn't in my cloak. I didn't have a ring on my finger. My headband that the others had made for me was missing. The white dress I wore flowed in the wind like a flag. My hair was undone and longer than it was in my waking self. My eyes seemed sadder._

 _I stopped walking and glance around as a load of men surround me. My voice, brimming with hidden pain, states, "What is that you are here for?" The leader of the assumed bandits speaks, "Little girls shouldn't travel alone." I close my eyes, "It's not like I need someone all of the time. I can fend for myself."_

 _The bandits attacked and I moved into action._

… … …

I woke up to the feeling of being carried. Kisame set me down when he saw my eyes were open. "You weren't waking up… I thought something was wrong…" I looked around blearily. "Where are we?" "Halfway to the nearest village… " I blinked up at him. "You were taking me to see a doctor?" Kisame nodded nervously. "YOU try having one of yours friends not wake up even when you shake them like I did you."

I blinked and muttered, "You… uh, I'm fine now…" He nodded and we began walking in the opposite direction. "The moment you falter for even a second, I'm going to call Itachi and THEN figure out what's wrong with you." I half-glared at him. "It wasn't Hidori."

Kisame looked to me in surprise. "I never said it was… but you were the same way with her dreams." "I am FINE," I growled. "We have to hurry." Kisame nodded to me and we began to sprint. "Where is Shuriken?" I asked. "He went back to his home." I frowned. "Let's go… we can't take very long here…"

Kisame nodded once more and we sped up again.

-!-

*bird crash* Itachi cursed. "Shuriken… you useless bird." Madi looked at the bird in confusion. "Is that your messenger hawk?" Itachi nodded and picked the tired bird up from the ground. "Why is he so tired?" Itachi laughed weakly. "I don't use him much…"

Madi sighed and pet the poor bird. Itachi sat in front of them. "So, bird, did you bring back a response?" Shuriken looked at him and lifted a letter. Itachi opened it and, after sighing heavily, handed it to Madi.

 _Madi and Itachi,_

 _We are moving near the southern border. Morgan's acting funny again so I will be keeping a closer watch on her. I will message if anything comes up. Oh, and if you send another response don't mention I sent this. Also, your bird is getting old. He crashed on Morgan when he got here… I would retire him._

 _Kisame and Morgan (sort of)_

Madi giggled. "Poor bird." Itachi sighed. "Crazy thing." It pecked him. Itachi glared before looking wistful. "He always liked Morgan better…" Madi looked at him slyly. "He's a guy right? Most guys seem to like her~!" Itachi's eyes widened as he snapped out of his thoughts. "Wha-Who? I want to know! Tell me!" Madi gave him a big L on her forehead and stuck out her tongue. "No way! Looser!" Itachi fell back on the ground in defeat.

End Song: Fences by Paramore


	121. Chapter 121

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 121**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Tired eyes followed the lines on the paper. A hand ran through hair as he struggled to stay awake. "Shikamaru?" The boy looked up to see his friend and comrade, Hikari. She looked to him with confusion in her eyes. "Why are you so tired?" Shikamaru took the moment to hide the papers in front of him.

Hikari moved swiftly and stole the papers easily. "Shikamaru!" The boy looked away, embarrassed that she had seen. "It's my business, not yours." Hikari sighed. "You are worried about Morgan?" He froze in his chair but nodded. "I am."

The girl seated herself beside him. "Morgan is a lot stronger now, I'm sure." She shuffled through the papers. Shikamaru nodded at them. "I got those from Lady Tsunade. She got them from her Intel. She thought I'd like them… but they only make me worry." Hikari glanced down and skimmed the latest one. "It seems as though she was spotted not very far away!" Shika nodded his head and rubbed his temples. "And now, just as everything is getting prepared to attack the Akatsuki, she's about to be caught up in it all."

Hikari pounded a fist into his head. "Who do you think you're talking about?! Morgan wouldn't get caught!" Shikamaru laughed slightly at that and muttered, "If she does get caught, I can only wonder what will happen to her…" The girl sniffed and lifted her chin in defiance. "She will escape."

Shikamaru fell out of his chair and to the floor. "Are you insane?!" "She didn't join the Akatsuki through her looks, Moron! She joined because she was strong and they could make her stronger!" He growled in annoyance. "You make her sounds horrible like that…" Hikari frowned and Shikamaru sat up slowly. "A better way would be to say 'She was forced to join and found happiness there. She will not let anyone keep her from her happiness'…"

The two exchanged looks before Hikari stood, extending a hand to him. "I have places to be rather than listening to you turns emo!" Shika sighed. "Brash as ever…" "Proud of it, Moron!" Shikamaru grinned and took the offered hand.

-!-

I slunk to the ground as someone passed us by. "It's getting thick…" Kisame nodded in agreement and pressed me down onto my back to hide us both as people jumped over our heads. I glanced up at him with a smug grin. "Never knew you got this close with anyone but Madi-chan." Kisame glared at me. "Be quiet." I smiled and slipped out from under him.

I took a deep breath and used my chakra to create the new jutsu mirror. Kisame stood, understanding my plan. He stepped beside me and I curved the mirror to hide us both. At any angle, Kisame and I were two deer. I used the shield to hide the chakra by sucking in the residue and pulling it in towards us again. Samehada was pleased to have a little meal, too.

Kisame quietly observed the figures flashing by us. "These ninja… Why are they-" "Kakuzu and Hidan have gone after their prey. These men are relating messages from their hidden positions," I answered. Kisame looked exasperated. "They attacked monks?" I nodded. "The head monk, I suppose." He growled. "So why do you need to be here?" I grinned. "Actually… You are going to have to go in and seal a demon before I get to finish."

Kisame was annoyed. "They are going to ask me a load of questions and will know our location exactly." I flashed him a smile. "I've figured out a way to do it instead." He raised an eyebrow skeptically. "And your plan is?" "I do love these new mirrors. It will seem as though I have given you extra chakra for the sealing, but instead it will shroud me and you and make it seem as though the ring is coming from a place different from ours…" "And you plan on doing this how?"

I sighed and whispered in his ear. After ten minutes of explaining and examples, Kisame grinned sheepishly. "I get it. You are getting much better at this." "Thanks."

At that time, a voice shouted, "HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE DOING?!" I froze. My field was still up and working. I blinked in shock. It was Shikamaru's dad. What the heck was he doing here?

He grinned at us. "You two are far from home." I let the mirror flare and make it seem as if the deer pausing in surprise. The deer balked and Shika's dad looks annoyed. "Sheesh… these guys have the animals all freaked out. I better find those two before they get in a trap or something."

I let out a breath and muttered, "I have NO idea what HE'S doing here." "The scar-face?" Kisame asked. I frowned at him and he shrugged. "I suppose you know him, then?" "Yeah… He's a father of a friend…" Kisame rolled his eyes. "I don't want to suddenly hear your life's story. You wouldn't like to hear mine anyways…" I smiled. "I know enough, fish stick." He smirked back and we began to move. This time I just matched my mirrors with the surroundings.

About a half mile away, I dissipated the illusion. Nara-man looked shocked as they just disappeared. "What the?!" I loved my new mirrors. They came in handy more often than not!

-!-

ItachiL Just can't seem to keep on trail…

Madi: I WANNA GO EAT THERE!

Itachi: Where are we anyway?

Madi: Like I know~! But this festival is really cool! *eats dango*

Itachi: *sigh* I wonder if Pein knows we are doing this on purpose…?

Madi: Who cares? I don't. Let's party!

Itachi: Why is it I am here with you at a festival getting weird looks because you won't go away?

Madi: Why is it that you keep asking questions? I don't care for you much anyways. I don't see what Morgan likes about you so much that she talks to herself all the time about you…

Itachi: She talks about me a lot?

Madi: Not as much as you sleep talk and say but yeah…

Itachi: *facepalm*

Madi: And like I said… I WANNA GO EAT THERE!

Itachi: *sigh* Fine…

Madi: *asks a stranger* How far are we away from Konoha?

Stranger: Ten thousand miles.

Itachi: O/.\O

Madi: O.O

Itachi and Madi: *dies and revives*

Itachi: *shakes it off* *sigh* I wonder if Pein has figured us out yet?

Madi: *eats her new food: Ramen* Most likely. He can't send anyone else though… Tobi approves of Morgan going after them. Zetsu… well I don't think he'd try very hard…

Itachi: How much trouble do you think we will all get in?

Madi: No, worse than the sake incident.

Itachi: *shudder*

Madi: *eats* I don't think I've ever seen Hidan's cheeks so red.

Itachi: I thought we would never speak of this again.

Madi: *grins* And then Kakuzu and Morgan…

Itachi: *slams hand over mouth* DO. NOT. FINISH. THAT. SENTENCE.

Madi: Kay~!

~~ ten minutes of traveling later ~~

Madi: So…

Itachi: We are NOT talking about the sake incident.

Madi: *sigh* But it makes you squirm…

Itachi: Exactly.

Madi: How about the time that-

Itachi: No. I will not talk about the carpet burn incident either.

Madi: Come ON, Itachi! You take the fun out of everything!

Itachi: We could talk about the soap bar incident…

Madi: Okay, now it is my turn to refuse. Morgan and I were tricked into taking those pills!

Itachi: Suuuuuure.

Madi: Fine then let's talk about the-

Itachi: The Honeysuckle incident?

Both: *shudder* No thanks…

Madi: How about we just drop this whole thing…?

Itachi: Yep.

Madi: Where are we now?

Itachi: *stares down at volcano* I have no idea.

Madi: How did we GET here?

Itachi: Honestly… how did we even get in this country? We haven't been gone from the base long enough.

Madi: Itachi…

Itachi: Hn?

Madi: You know how you called this a goose chase?

Itachi: Yeah.

Madi: Well I think the Goose is gonna be mad that we got so far out of place.

Itachi: Yeah…

Madi: So how do we get down?

Itachi: I don't know… jump?

Madi: Itachi, we are the top of a volcano. If we jump, we die.

Itachi: … Touché.

End Song: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore


	122. Chapter 122

**~*~*~Black Ice ~*~*~**

 **Chapter 122**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi stopped and looked at Madi with apprehension. "The Akatsuki meeting is being called together." Madi reflexively looked around nervously, and he cursed. "Pein must be ready for us to find Morgan. This way he will be able to figure out exactly where she and Kisame are." Madi frowned. "But we…" Itachi raised a hand and gave her a hard look. "You go on ahead. You should have figured out their coordinates by now." Madi glared. "I am staying here with you. I need new information just like you." Itachi sighed and sat down on a nearby rock. "Then sit and wait. This might be a while."

-!-

Shikamaru watched as the girl he had met so long ago pressed her hands to Asuma's chest. The ninja's eyes widened. "You… you are…!" Morgan winked at him. "Yeah, you don't know me. But I know you. Now hold still." She frowned and let her chakra seep into his body.

"That isn't going to work," Asuma sighed. Morgan's eyes glared into his. "I'm different, moron." Ninja watched in shock as blue chakra rose up in spikes around her. They strained and wavered, reaching into the wounds all over Asuma. She did't even need to move her hands as she let them hover over his heart. She glared at Ino. "Get to work on the smaller things! Don't just gape, do something!"

The ninja standing there began to move forward, kunai flashing. She glanced up at them angrily. "If you cannot help me, STAY PUT." She turned back to Asuma. "Now, tell them what you need to." The man looked up at her as rain began to fall.

Morgan hissed in pain and retracted her chakra a moment to rip a ring from her hand and toss it away from her. She spun back to Asuma. Rain soaked them both, but her determination glowed hot for the dying man. Her chakra bled into him and pulled the flesh together, burning the edges together so they remained closed long enough for Ino to heal them shut.

-!-

Everyone turned to look as Kisame checked in. Eyes seemed to wait. "Where are you?" Pein demanded. His gaze swept over the mist swordsman and his eyes narrowed into a glare. Kisame stood firm, unapologetic. "Morgan is not done yet. She is shielding us." Pein glared. "This is madness! Just return back. Hidan and Kakuzu are fine, as you see." Kisame shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving Pein's. "Morgan is determined in her goal."

"Where is she?" Itachi asked. Kisame sighed. "I will not say." Itachi seemed furious but said nothing. Pein, on the other hand, demanded that she come immediately. Everyone could feel the shield Morgan had placed around herself. It shimmered and trembled, seeming as if it were going to pull her into the meeting when her voice shouted, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" The connection broke as Morgan ripped her ring from her hand.

Pein cursed. Tobi shrugged and raised a finger to his mask. "Maybe Morgan-chan found something she needs to do!" Pein frowned and turned slightly from the assembly. "She is in for it the next time I see her."

There was a moment of silence as Hidan and Kakuzu settled and began to completely enter the meeting. Pein finally relaxed. "We will seal the Nibi as soon as we finish sealing the Sanbi. This will take at least six days." Hidan, unsurprisingly, was upset. "Six days is so long!" Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Hidan, you shouldn't be the one to talk."

-!-

"You cannot help me…" Asuma rasped. Morgan's eyes closed, refusing to listen as Asuma spoke. She roared in defiance and lowered slightly until she was actually touching Asuma's chest, pressing down on him. Her own chakra was gone. The breath from her lips came and scratched its way from her throat.

She looked up as Kotetsu and Izumo pressed their hands to her shoulders. She felt the chakra surge into her. Nodding to them gratefully, she whispered, "Keep that up." She leaned over the man and allowed Ino to do the more minor bits.

She wavered again and again as her body felt the strain of the task. Asuma tried to speak, but his voice failed, so he looked up at Morgan. His eyes watched her face and he spotted the agony in her expression. He was confused. "You are Akatsuki… Why are you helping me? Your comrades are the ones who did this." Morgan smiled. "Don't tell them. Do me a favor and keep this to yourself. 'Sides… your kid would miss his dad…"

Asuma smiled painfully and Morgan pressed a hand to his shoulder, forcing him to pass out. She wavered again and looked to Shikamaru. His eyes followed her actions in shock. Her lips moved but sound wouldn't come out. She coughed and tried again. "You owe me big, Shikamaru…"

Shikamaru's eyes widened as she tilted forward and collapsed onto Asuma's chest. Her breaths were rough and haggard. Her eyes struggled to stay open as she fought her exhaustion. Her fingers reached out and touched the ring. She whispered, "Sorry, guys…" before twinging in pain and passing out.

-!-

Itachi's eyes widened as he felt Morgan's voice shake through the connection. "Sorry, guys…" Everyone could feel the wavering beat on the other end of the ring. For a single moment, her connection remained. Then it faded and was lost. Kisame's shield wavered a half second and he grunted in exertion. "Dang her…"

Everyone looked to him. He cursed. "Morgan attached her shield to me so her chakra isn't holding it up. And now her own chakra is gone." Itachi cursed and Pein's eyes widened. "Let me go!" Kisame shouted. "I have to find her! Something is wrong!" Itachi was furious. "YOU LET HER GO ON HER OWN?!" Kisame looked at him, trying to convey his emotions. "You didn't see her! She was… I've never seen her so…"

The base was stunned into silence, broken by Deidara's angry shout. "Let Kisame go, Pein!" Tobi chimed in, "Yeah, Pein! Morgan could be hurt!" Pein considered them briefly before nodding firmly. "Kisame, I will need your chakra." Kisame glared and handed it over easily before fading out.

Itachi glared and stated, "Madi, you go as well." After a moment, Itachi focused back on the meeting. "Pein, if her condition changes. I demand to know." Deidara's face twitched in irritation.

Tension built between the members as they were left to wait.

… … …

At the command from Itachi I began to run. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew the pain I saw on Itachi's face. Something had happened to Morgan. I took off running in the direction Itachi had felt the fight from earlier.

-!-

Ninja sandals hit dirt and building roofs. Medical ninja leaped to and from the roads and into buildings. Hard breaths came from a certain girl as she darted through the streets. A black haired boy remained at her side, the messenger. She slipped through the door to the Hokage mansion. "Lady Tsunade!" She was nowhere to be seen. A note on her desk displayed the kanji for the hospital.

The black haired boy sighed. "She must have been called to the office since she called on you, Sakura-chan." The girl looked frustrated. "Come on Sai! These rumors are absolutely…!" She turned on her heel and walked straight into a male chest.

She gasped and looked up in surprise. "Shikamaru!" He nodded, an abnormally concerned expression on his face. Sakura immediately shot to her feet. "Are the rumors true?! Is Asuma really…?" Shikamaru interrupted with downcast eyes. "He is…" Sakura looked destroyed. Shikamaru's eyes shook slightly in pain but looked away.

Sakura tried to catch his eyes, asking in a more gentle voice, "And the other rumor…?" Shikamaru's eyes snapped to her and he turned to leave the room. "Follow me." Sakura was confused but followed him as he led her out of the building and down the street. Ninja flashed by, ignoring the small party of teens. The hospital slowly came into view. Sakura fidgeted anxiously. "Is the rumor true, Shikamaru?!"

He said nothing and darted through the hospital's third story open window. Sakura and Sai followed behind him. "Status?!" Shikamaru asked. The Hokage straightened her back. "Asuma is in a coma, Shikamaru, you knew that. He will not awaken for some time yet…" Shikamaru shook his head angrily. "And?!" The woman moved aside and revealed the female body on the other bed.

Sakura gasped in a sharp intake of breath.

The hospital room was crowded with machines. Two beds were placed side by side. Two figures lay in them. The man's eyes were closed in comatose. A restful frown was placed on his lips. A bandage covered part of his face. The bare forehead was a change from the headband that normally rested on his face. Bare shoulders led the way down and to the pure white blanket that rested over his chest. Bandages could be seen protruding from under the blanket. Wires were pulled from the blanket and attached to the noisy machines.

In the other bed, also with closed eyes, was a girl. Long blond hair was loose around her face. An oxygen mask was placed over her nose and mouth. Warm breath fogged it up with each breath. There were no bandages on her body. Instead, an IV was plugged into her arms, slowly delivering medicine.

The door opened slowly and deliberately. Eyes flickered over the girl before she made her way quickly to the man and halting in front of the bed. She gasped, taking a single step forward. A boy walked in at her side. He met her wavered expression and stated, "Asuma-Sensei is in a coma…"

The woman moves to to Asuma's bed. Her hands pressed to her lips. Tears swelled in her eyes as she let out a sob and threw herself at the man. Her face buried into his chest, and she let the tears fall in both relief and pain. She cried out and wailed. She called his name as she let the worry and anguish go.

Shikamaru watched from behind her. "Kurenai-san, if I may… You need to listen to this." The woman looked up in shock at Shikamaru. He looked to Asuma and his hand lifted to point to the girl lying in the other bed. Kurenai looked more closely at her. Shikamaru's voice was steady, but held notes of pride and worry. "She is the reason he is alive. She saved his life. Without her, Asuma would be dead." Kurenai's eyes widened. "But… she is Akatsuki…"

Shikamaru walked silently to the desk beside the sleeping girl and lifted something shiny into his hands. With a quick movement, Kurenai caught it as it was tossed to her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at the ring. The kanji for innocence shone through the blue like a light. She stood and walked over to the girl, eyes still on the ring.

The woman sat on the edge of the girl's bed. Her eyes took in the face of the sleeping ninja. She felt a soft smile spread over her face and she leaned over. Her lips pressed onto the girl's forehead. She wrapped her arms gently around the girl's neck and hugged her tightly. She sobbed into her shirt. "Thank you!" She clung to the girl who had saved her lover. "Thank you so much! Thank you!" Shikamaru nodded his own gratitude as Kurenai continued to cry. "Thank you for saving him! Thank you so much!" Her tears fell more and more until the girl was soaked. "We both thank you so much!"

End Song: Pain by Jimmy Eats World


	123. Chapter 123

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 123**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Feet rhythmically hit the ground as Kisame scanned the area around him. He felt Morgan's chakra signature wax and wane around her trail. He knew she had been here… but all the same she was not here now. Kisame jumped on the roof and across the building in search of her. Finding nothing, he cursed.

He touched down at the spot where her chakra was most strongly etched. He felt the chakra of many others, all Konoha ninja. His eyes widened in horror as he realized where she was. She was with Konoha ninja, possibly already in Konoha by now.

He felt the tug of his ring and dropped down to the ground. He entered the meeting, his eyes falling as he felt the eyes of every member on him.

"…Konoha has her."

-!-

Sharingan eyes flashed over the figure of his partner. Images of Danzo and the other elders shot through Itachi's mind. He thought of all the torture techniques that could be done for even a scrap of information on the Akatsuki. He remembered every torture he had seen, all the pain on their faces. He remembered the cold, emotionless faces of the issuers.

"No!" he shouted in fright and frustration. Everyone looked to him. His eyes were wide and frantic. "You HAVE to get her OUT! You have NO idea what things they will DO to her!" Itachi prepared to leave the meeting before Pein stopped him. "You will NOT leave now."

Itachi fixed Leader with a furious glare. "You've been against this from the beginning! If you had just let Morgan go, she would have gotten there and been with Hidan and Kakuzu! She would NOT be with THEM!" Pein regarded him calmly, which only made Itachi more frantic. "THEY WILL KILL HER JUST TO KNOW ALL OF OUR NAMES!" Pein glared once more and sighed. "What do you want me to do about it?"

Itachi's body shook in fury and anger. "I WANT YOU TO LET ME GO AFTER HER!" "How do you know that you can bring her back? What if she dies before you get there?" "IF YOU LET ME GO I MIGHT GET THERE IN TIME!" Itachi roared. "I KNOW KONOHA BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE ANBU! I CAN GET HER OUT! LET ME GO!"

"I will need your chakra," Pein demanded. Itachi immediately handed almost all of it over. Pein sighed. "If you get caught, you are stuck there. I will not send backup." Itachi nodded once and faded from the meeting.

… … …

Having wandered away from Itachi, Madi found Kisame sitting on the ground. His eyes opened slightly and he stated, "Wait here… Itachi is on his way." She nodded and sat down beside him.

-!-

Blue eyes slowly blinked open, clenching slightly to ward away the effects of sleep. As I woke, the rest of my senses slowly came back. It was warm and bright here. I coughed and sat up slightly. My eyes widened at the sight. I was on a bed, and there was a bed to my right. I noted Asuma lay there, and Kurenai was asleep lying across his chest. Hearing a slight noise, I looked to my left.

I noticed Shikamaru first. He was asleep with his head on the bed at my side and his hand wrapped around mine. Sakura was leaned against the wall in a chair, also asleep. I breathed in and felt a weight on my stomach. I looked down and saw Shikamaru's other hand resting there.

I realized that I couldn't move any part of my body other than my head. I managed to groan and Shikamaru woke up. His eyes followed up to meet mine and I whispered, "Why did you bring me here?" Shikamaru softly called out Sakura's name and the girl awoke with a slight start.

The medical ninja moved to my side and began to check my vitals. Meanwhile, I was growing irritated with my lack of mobility. "Let me up… I have places to be and people to see. I don't have time for this." She looked at me nervously. "Morgan, I'm sorry, but the thing is…" My eyes flared up definitely. "No." Sakura sighed. "Your body is still too weak for you to be awake. This will only put you asleep for a little while, I promise." Shikamaru frowned at her and turned to leave.

-!-

"Princess Tsunade… You cannot think for a moment that we can let this child simply roam as she pleases. She is a deadly criminal who has killed our own ninja. We should hand her a death sentence and let her leave with that." The ancient woman's tone was far from friendly. Tsunade glared at her and replied, "It was our mistake that caused the girl to have to act! She should not be held a prisoner!"

The old man sitting to her left shook his head, dismissing the opinion. "She is Akatsuki. No matter what we did to her, she joined them. What if she comes after the Kyuubi one day? What will we do? Will you kill her? Will you imprison her?" Tsunade's fist came down in sharp contact with her desk. "YOU ALL ARE INSANE!" Both looked up to her in surprise. The woman shouted angrily, "She saved Asuma! What can you say to THAT?!" The woman raised an eyebrow, unmoved. "She killed more than she saved."

Tsunade ground her teeth together. Another man entered the room. Danzo faced the trio and smiled. "Well, it seems as though you are going to rebel, Princess." Tsunade glared. "What is it to you, Danzo?" The man smiled again and stated, "Rebellion in the Leaf must not occur if we are to have peace. We will do with her as we must do with criminals." Tsunade leaned forward on her desk. "I will not submit to this!" "The deed is in the process of being completed. She will be interrogated as soon as the drugs wear off," the elder woman stated.

Tsunade hissed. A knock came to the door. The trio of elder ninja watched as a trio of younger ninja entered the room. Tsunade internally sighed, thankful for a small break from arguing with the elders. "Shikamaru? What is it?" It was Ino who spoke next in a shaky voice. "We want you to issue a mission for us to avenge Asuma." Choji looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "He is not very well…" Shikamaru had no such reservations and met her gaze firmly. "Even if Morgan saved his life, those other two wanted his head for bounty. They would come after Naruto eventually. It is the best choice to fight them."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she stared at them. "And if you die?!" she asked. Choji raised his head. "We won't die. Shikamaru has a plan." Eyes traveled to the teen's face, and he nodded. "We will not fail." The trio of elder ninja glanced amongst themselves. "Then, on the behalf of Konoha, we issue this as a mission for your team."

Tsunade was shocked and desperate to disagree, but was stopped by the elder woman. "They have thought this through, Tsunade. The Akatsuki are, indeed, after Naruto in the end. We managed to take out at least one ninja in Sunagakure. We cannot afford to let the Kyuubi fall into the Akatsuki's clutches. If they say that they have a plan, let them carry it out."

Tsunade could not disagree. She glared at the three elders and issued their mission. Her voice rose as she stated, "Kakashi Hatake will accompany you as well. As soon as you have located him and filled him in on your position, you may leave." The three bowed and left quickly to find the jounin.

-!-

Madi stood as she felt Itachi's presence near the building where they sat. He hardly even slowed as he neared them. She ran quickly and slid into position at his right. His sharingan blazed as he ran. Traces of blood remained under his eyes. His eyebrows were knitted together in panic. Muscled strained to move faster.

Madi was worried. "What exactly is going on, Itachi?!" The man glanced to her and replied, "Konoha has taken Morgan with them." "What?!" Itachi's teeth ground together and he muttered, "They have Morgan." Fright flickers through her. "They will try and-" "They will try and drag information out of her, even if they kill her in the attempt."

Madi tried to match his speed as they pushed onwards. She could feel the strain in Itachi. He was trying so hard and under obvious stress. His mind was filled with the events of his past and all the things they could do to his love. Another line of red painted his cheek. The lines on his face were deeper than ever. She could almost swear she could pick out a single grey hair on his head.

Morgan was all he really had left. Sasuke, as she understood it, was taken care of as far as Itachi needed at the moment. Morgan, on the other hand, was constantly getting into these things. She had nearly died so many times, especially recently. Itachi had just gotten her back from her comatose-like state, and now Konoha had her.

Mixed emotions crawled all over his face. He loved his village and wanted to protect it. On the other hand, he wanted to save Morgan no matter what. He knew the skeletons that lurked in Konoha's closet. He knew the horrors lying in its shadow.

His mask was all but gone, and the strain was evident in his appearance. He muttered to himself as he ran. "Morgan's comrades could probably hold them off for a while. It might give us just enough time to get there before she is harmed…" Madi quietly asked, "And if we aren't there in time? What will we do?" Itachi frowned. "Konoha has never welcomed my sort… I suppose my reputation cannot be worsened much more than it already is."

She frowned iin grim understanding. Itachi really was planning on do absolutely anything to get her back.

-!-

Konoha Hospital Room 317

Sakura yawned from her seat as she watched over the girl in front of her. Her eyes moved slowly to the side as the door to the room opened. A man in an anbu mask stepped into view. "Hello. I am here for the Akatsuki girl." Sakura's eyes narrowed and she stood quickly. "On whose orders?!" The man paused a moment, then sighed.

In the blink of an eye, he was behind Sakura and had a hand pressed to her shoulder. "I am here on the orders of Konoha." His fingers pressed sharply into her skin and she slumped in unconsciousness. The man caught her gently and lowered her onto the floor and into a sleeping position against the wall.

He stood silently and glanced around the room. Asuma and Kurenai were both asleep; Asuma was in a coma and Kurenai remained at his side. He nodded slightly and stepped over to the blond girl sleeping in the bed. He quickly pulled a needle from his uniform and pierced the girl's arm. She did not move. Without a sound or a word, he removed the other IV and lifted the girl into his arms and tossed over his shoulder.

A hand lifted in a sign in front of his chest. A cloud poofed around them, and Morgan disappeared from her bed in Konoha Hospital Room 317.

End Song: Hishoku no Sora by Kawada Mami


	124. Chapter 124

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 124**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

My mind was far fuzzier than it had ever been before. I wasn't falling, like I had been when I was in a coma. I wasn't having a weird vision of an enemy. I wasn't dreaming of the past. It wasn't a dream at all. It was more like thinking. I was forced to think. I was forced to think of the Akatsuki.

I realized immediately that it was a jutsu made to make me talk. I frowned and focused on something else. I focused on the Konoha leaf symbol. I focused on it as hard as I could. The hold wasn't strong enough on my part and I was yanked back to thinking of the Akatsuki.

I shouted in my mind, "I AM NOT GOING TO LET ANYONE WIN!" I knew I had to think of something to focus on FAST. I chose the first powerful memory and focused only on the feeling.

I chose the rolling shock the first time Itachi had kissed me in the Land of Ice. I remembered the cold. It was bitter and chilling even in my mind. I could feel the cloth of my clothes pressing into my skin as I was pushed down onto the melted snow seeping into my back. Warm lips pressed to mine. I felt body meet my body beneath the fort of snow. I forgot about the cold and wet and focused on the warmth of lips on mine.

I held that image as long as I could until the attack on my mind faded. I used that short time to relax and pick another memory to focus on. I chose the dance at my friend's wedding. Again, I shut out all sight and focused completely on the feeling as I was attacked once more by a new force.

I felt hands on my waist as I was lifted airborne. I felt the rush of air around my body as I was spun in a circle through the room. I remembered the laughter in my chest and the surprise that it was so much fun and so easy. The swish of cloth and the breeze of wind were hurled at my mental attacker as I continued to dance. As the image began to fade, I blasted music all through my mind. The lovely music I had danced to.

I had no idea how long the second attack lasted… but finally the attack gave way and I was allowed to relax for only a moment. My next film for them to see was going to be the pain I remembered from the rips in my stomach and the lack of chakra when I had escaped Sasuke and Orochimaru. I would try and make my attackers feel that pain. I would not let them see the memories of the Akatsuki.

-!-

Itachi's knees hit ground. His breath came in sharp stabs. Long red streaks of blood crawled down his cheeks and dripped onto the earth. Fingers dug into the ground so hard blood pooled there as well. Madi landed beside him and watches as he struggled to regain his breath.

Madi demanded, "Is your illness this bad?! We aren't even in Konoha yet!" Itachi looked to her and shakily stood. "It's not bad at all." His eye twitched with the effort used to keep them open to see. He started leaning dangerously to one side. "I'm fine… I just needed a breath…" Madi frowned and slipped one of his arms around her neck. "Just move as best you can. We will need you at full strength once we reach your village."

Itachi's sharp glare was ignored. Madi leapt ahead and Itachi allowed himself to lean on her more fully. His eyes closed as he put his trust in Madi. She did not know the extent of his illness. She knew it was life threatening, but she could not even comprehend just how close he was right that instant.

The two worked on, a little slower than before but as fast as they could. Madi let most of his weight lean on her. His breath continued to come in sharp stabs. Blood dripped onto Madi's clothes. She huffed angrily and stopped running. "Put the Sharingan away! We can get there without them!" Itachi glared but silently allowed the red to fade to black. The blood continued to leak anyway. "What if we are ambushed?" he asked. Madi shrugged, looking out at the forest. "Like that would happen."

-!-

I snapped awake with a sharp intake of breath. The darkness was suddenly flooded by an overhead light. I blinked at the shining light and hissed. My head ached after that jutsu and whatever medicine had kept me unconscious. I groaned slightly as the light was shoved right into my eyes, and I was forced up and into a sitting position.

A rough voice I vaguely recognized asked, "What is your name?" "I am not Hidori," I muttered. The man chuckled. "Are you Akatsuki?" I mustered enough strength to look at the shadow behind the light. "That's none of your business." The scarred face of my 'bad cop' appeared in my face. I smirked at him. I felt a pinprick of pain. It grew until it erupted all over my skin. I held back any sign of the pain and watched his eyes. He did the same with me.

I shrugged as casually as I could. "You really do suck at this, Ibiki." He glared and asked, "How do you know us?" I smiled and nodded towards him. "Those scars are a bit obvious." He glared once more and the pain grew. I shew no sign of the pain. This was nothing compared to the pain I had felt before. If he had felt the pain I had, he would try and use it as torture. But he could never put that kind of emotional strain on me.

"Are you in Akatsuki," he demanded again. "I am." "Who are the members?" I grinned smugly at him. "Madara Uchiha." Ooh, that made him mad. "Do not even try to lie to me!" I smirked. "I won't lie, then." "Do you know Itachi Uchiha?" I smirked and asked, "Is he in the Akatsuki?" Ibiki looked angry.

I knew then that he was done playing with me. The pain faded and his real personality shone through. I sighed. "So, you're serious now?" He said nothing. I frowned and tried to move. My body was not responding enough. Ibiki moved and injected me with something. I fell back and onto the table where only my mouth seemed to be able to move.

Ibiki sighed. "Why are you so reluctant to tell me anything? I could make this much easier on you. I could free you of all charges. All you have to do is talk." I smiled up at the ceiling. "And let Danzo win? No way!" Ibiki sighed again. "We are not your enemy. You even took it upon yourself to heal one of us after Akatsuki attacked." "Actually, Konoha attacked them first buuuuuut… " Ibiki frowned.

I sighed and relaxed a bit. I wasn't going to give in. I wasn't going to let Danzo win and find out all about the Akatsuki. Ibiki suddenly smirked at me. "You really are mistaken, kid." "How so?" "You are not truly Akatsuki. They took you from us. You were kidnapped. You were taken against your will." I glared at him. "And Konoha wanted me dead."

His smirk fell. "You do not seem to understand. You were taken to Akatsuki because you were mistaken for Hidori Morino." I giggled. "You two have the same last name! Are you two related?" He said nothing and I giggled at the thought of such a highly-ranked ninja being related to that psycho.

Ibiki tried again, "You were forced into the Akatsuki because of who they thought you were. When they found out you had potential, they put on an act for you." I sighed. "Your mind games won't work on me." He smirked. "What if this lasted years?" "I still would not break," I replied confidently. He paused before asking, "What if no one comes for you? Will you always be so stubborn?"

I glared at him and looked back up at the ceiling. "I can get out on my own." Ibiki sighed. "Even if anbu guard you day after day? Can you stay determined that long? No one is coming." I glared. "They will not leave me here to rot!" "You are far too important to them to lose," he continued. "Your talents are helpful to their causes. You are much too important to let alone. They tried quite hard, actually."

My eyes widened. "What?" Ibiki leaned over the table. "Itachi tried quite hard to get inside. He and his companion were both extremely tired. They never stood a chance when we found them at the border." I glared and scoffed up at him. "You are a liar." Ibiki seemed to register something and I realized my mistake. I had made a reference to Itachi Uchiha being in the Akatsuki. I had also referred to the fact that I thought he would not lose to Konoha.

Ibiki smirked down at me. "Do you want to know how he died?" I glared and tried to challenge his gaze. "That won't work! None of the Akatsuki is so weak!" He continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Blood gushed from his eyes even as we found him. It seems he was ill with something. He tried really hard, indeed. His sharingan helped him take out most of our men. The thing was, he could not handle so many of us. Kakashi Hatake himself finished him off." I felt a strangled sound leave my lips.

He went on, "He even said your name as he slipped away from the lightning. Kakashi told me how his body hit the ground with a defeated thud. Can you think of it?! Itachi Uchiha falls into the dirt as he dies! Bloody tears lurk on his cheeks in the shame of losing the fight for you!"

I felt anger explode inside of me. "BASTARD!" My surge of chakra burned away the medicine and tackled the shocked ninja into the wall. More ninja tried to interfere, and my spikes shot up to block them. I roared in fury as I punched at his face.

Ibiki used the replacement technique. My weakened body tensed as I felt cool metal press to my neck. I glared over my shoulder. Ibiki knelt and placed his mouth near my ear. I felt the needle of medicine slide into my arm. He whispered, "He died loving you. You should feel honored. You were loved by one of the coldest men in the world. Notice that I said 'were'. He's gone."

I fell forward and landed on the floor as the medicine set in, immobilizing my body. My eyes were frozen open in shaking sockets. My cheek pressed to the cold stone, and my mouth was pinned open. My whole body was numb. I watched as the floor moved away from my face and I was laid on the table once more. The light shown in my eyes and I passed out.

I cursed in my mind. These mind tricks are beginning to make me think things… I know they are false. Itachi wouldn't die. Itachi couldn't die. I mean, nothing Ibiki said was true. Why would Itachi cry tears of blood for me?

Shock and fear suddenly grabbed my mind. I remembered. Itachi was very sick. He was sick to the extent that his eyes would bleed.

Itachi would have been much too weak to fend off a Konoha ambush.

End Song: In the Shadows by Rasmus


	125. Chapter 125

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 125**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want Ibiki's voice wrapping around my ears. I didn't want him in my head. This was not something I wanted. These images were hard to take in. Even in this strange sleep of mine, I heard his deep voice. The pain was a scabbard forced to slice the skin away while the sword lay forgotten. Emotion rolled and crashed like waves of a storm on the backs of sand and against strong rocks.

I screamed. "Stop it! Stop it, Ibiki! Stop it! Leave me alone! Stop it!" I writhed in agony and anguish. My fingers latched onto the blackness of nothing. His words crawled through my ears and scratched at my mind with tiny claws. Sentences squirmed inside my mouth and wormed their ways into my stomach, stretching out in a feeling of sickness. Ghosts of memory swirled over my skin, latching around my heart and squeezing mercilessly.

I screamed his name. I screamed and begged him to stop torturing me like this. I could not escape him on my own with this rancid medicine in my bloodstream. I saw Itachi's face as he fell. I watched the blood fall from his eyes as his knees hit the ground. His eternally frozen expression of shock carved itself into my mind. Ibiki wasn't even trying to get information from me anymore. He was trying to break me until I told him of my own will.

"Ibiki, stop! I am not going to tell you anything! Even if Itachi is dead, I cannot let any of the others die because of me!" Ibiki's words floated through my mind. " _You are quite determined to force these thoughts away. But won't you understand? Itachi died trying to save you. You caused Itachi to die. You are the reason Itachi died."_ I screamed, "YOU ARE WRONG!"

I drowned in those words of his. I drowned in the pain. I let my body sink into the icy air of words. Suffocate on the reek of death. I clawed into my own neck as I lost myself in his story. Why was I so stupid? Why hadn't I stopped to make sure no one would try to save me? Why would I be so stupid? Why? Why? WHY?

I realized I was screaming those words. "Tell me why! Telly me why I have to mourn so you can win?! Tell me why YOU are right and I am WRONG?! Tell me WHY I must SUFFER?! TELL ME WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT! TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME!"

I felt my body heat up as tears fell from my dream cheeks. I pressed fingers to the lashes and felt the flood gush harder. I lost the strength in my legs and felt myself fall to my bruised knees. I screamed in the agony and sunk into misery. "Why? Why is it always the ones I love? Why?" I demanded in a whisper. I let the blackness take control once again. I would only fight for the others, but I couldn't fight for myself. I couldn't win anymore. My luck was gone, along with the lives of two people so very close to me. Itachi and Madi were dead because of me… and even if Madi had lived, Itachi was dead. Itachi was dead and I was alone in the black.

-!-

Ibiki released his grip on the girl's mind and sighed. His hands moved up and pressed to his eyes. The door opened and none other than Danzo entered. "So, Ibiki, how is it coming? What secrets has she spilled?" Ibiki looked at him from the corner of his eye. "She is the lover of Itachi Uchiha. That is all I have managed to get."

Danzo's eyes twinkled. "Itachi's lover? How… dull." His eyes dulled to black, and he moved over to the girl. Tears rolled down her cheeks and blood dripped from nail marks on her neck. He spoke to her, as if she could really hear him. "He won't come for you. No one will come for you."

Ibiki looked to the side. "She is not giving. Her emotions are overpowering anything I try. I've never seen a mind as warped as hers. She's insane." Danzo smiled fakely and looked down at her. "No… She is Akatsuki."

A new man entered the room and took over for Ibiki. Danzo turned to leave. "Try your hardest. She has to crack at some point." With a small glance back at the girl on the table, he smirked. "It is only a matter of time after all."

-!-

The Akatsuki seemed to sway as they finished the last sealing. Kisame felt drained. Hidan and Kakuzu mouthed off about getting out of the meeting and finding Morgan in Konoha. Pein looked to them. "Itachi and Madi have already gone for her. You will move on to the Kyuubi and retrieve him."

Kisame immediately stood and faced him. "Then let me go and find her!" Pein glared at him, looking impatient. "Do you not think Itachi and Madi can find her? Itachi has not been here to help with any of the sealing! Let them be. We will know the instant they have found her. Be patient and put your faith in your partner, Kisame."

Kisame looked to the side and glared. "No." He felt uneasy and worried. Konan walked over to stand by Pein. "Morgan is strong. She can last until they arrive for her." Tobi jumped over to Kisame and cheerfully made a pose. "Morgan-chan will come back a-okay~!"

Kisame looked to Deidara, who returned the look of pain and shrugged helplessly. "I'm too far away to get there in time. I could try, but…" Pein glared at him to be quiet, and Tobi shouted, "Itachi will already have her, Deidara-sempai! No need to worry! Morgan-chan will be back by next week!"

Kisame still felt pained. "Leader-sama… If it means anything at all, I am not on a mission, nor can I go on a mission without my partner at this point. At least let me tail them. I can't do any harm and I can't do anything at this time anyway." Pein thoroughly looked him over and sighed. "It seems you won't let me stop you. Hurry on. If Morgan is not safely brought back, you will be blamed." Kisame nodded and disappeared from the meeting.

Hidan and Kakuzu were ticked. "And you want us to focus on the Kyuubi?" Pein nodded solemnly. "You are dismissed. Do not disappoint me." Both nodded, fading into nothing. Pein watched until nothing was left of them.

Deidara looked frustrated. "Morgan-chan will be fine!" Tobi piped up again. "Don't be such a wet rag, Deidara-Sempai! If you keep that kind of expression, your face will freeze that way!" Deidara's eyes burned at him furiously. "TOOOOOBIIIIIII!" Tobi yelped and escaped the meeting as well. Deidara followed a half second later.

Pein glared at the statue. Konan's eyes moved to watch him hesitantly. "Nagato…?" He sighed, still looking away. "The Akatsuki has changed, Konan." Konan looked to the statue and sighed as well. "No one can remain the same forever." Pein closed his eyes, tilting his head to the floor of the cave. "The others only move as we request on reflex now. They defy us whenever she is in danger. None remain for much more than a hope to realize a dream… but they all stay for her. No one leaves without thinking of her beforehand. No one obeys a word when she does something like this."

Konan smiled bitterly. "A girl like her… You know as well as I what happens to someone like her…" Pein nodded, lost in the memory. "Someone as pure as that cannot last in a world wracked with chaos. Innocence cannot remain in a world of hatred. People like her are always the hardest to lose-" "Don't finish that statement… I do not need to hear it…" Konan turned her back to him and the statue. Pein spoke anyway. "People like Morgan Stream are always the ones to die for their beliefs."

-!-

This blackness was night. The tired city of Konoha rested on the earth with a small perk of a smile as it dreamed. Like a cat, the low sound was a purr from the only lively buildings. Ears twitched at every sound as whiskers moved to stay aware of the outside world. Yes, Konoha was exactly like a curled cat in sleep. Hidden claws waited for a change in its surroundings. Sharp teeth prepared to lance any chance of its nap being abruptly ended. The city of Konoha was a sleeping cat.

Dark shadows danced with the white of the moon. Cloudless sky opened up and revealed the black on grey inks. A flash of black forced the eyes to blink. It seemed as though, for a moment, a splash of inky paint had wisped across the painting of night. Quiet music could be heard lingering in the air. Pink hues of glee and humor drifted through the streets. A quiet interruption of grey was all that intercepted the hues of joy and dreams. For that fleeting moment, the ears played a trick with the song. The painting of the streets lingered as if truly colored on a pastel board. Konoha's streets were a painting.

The taller the buildings became, the lower the sound quality was. No one moved in the darkness of reality. That was, all but a few. A flash of black, the sounds of wind. The mesmerizing change in air was silent to all but the trained. The small child watching from the window of his home, defying his mother's orders to sleep, was the only to notice the change. Two people slipped in and out of the shadows, fading further into the darkness as they flitted over the ground. The tiny boy rubbed his eyes and fell back into his bed, blaming sleepiness. If he had stayed awake half a moment more, he would have seen the figures step silently from those shadows.

-!-

The trail of blood was easy enough to track. Eyes could flick over the ground and spot the dark red easily as if they had been blinking arrows. The sword on his back bounced slightly. Kisame apologized but continued moving. He landed only a moment on each tree as he checked the blood signature. Itachi had come this way.

Kisame growled as he realized just how bad Itachi's disease had become. He would have surely lost all chakra by this point. The man would have no strength to walk soon, much less save a person. Kisame closed his eyes and focused half a second on his own chakra. He had just enough to retrieve Morgan and save his own partner and comrade.

Kisame looked ahead to the next splotch of blood and wondered what Madi could do if faced with an ambush. Could she protect a half dead man? Kisame forced the thought away and moved on faster. Why was it that Morgan was always in trouble? He glared at his own feet and forced that thought away as well. This was not Morgan's fault. He was just as much at fault for allowing her to go with Kakuzu and Hidan.

His tiring eyes searched for the next drops of blood. Itachi was losing it fast. Kisame growled and tried to move faster. Time was always against them nowadays. The Akatsuki never did seem on karma's good side from the beginning. That was just a simple fact. Another fact, a darker fact, was that they way things were going… there would be nothing anyone could to do keep the things they had left.

End Song: Storm by Lifehouse


	126. Chapter 126

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 126**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

I sit in the blackness without a word or thought. My knees are pulled up to my chest as I sit in a tight ball. Tired arms link around my knees and pull them to my face. Weary and desolate eyes look straight into the black abyss. No sound has entered my ears since Ibiki left me alone a few moments earlier. I took this time to wallow in the black.

I buried my face into my forearms, feeling the ache of endless tears pulling at my eyes and cheeks. My nose ran and I sniffed quietly, waiting for the return of torture. Fingers clutched my pants as I curled tighter into myself.

I was not sure how long I had been in here. I knew Ibiki was running out of genjutsu to use on me. I was growing emotionless even when faced with the fears he put against me. I was beginning, I'm afraid, to go insane from torture. Most of my body felt like one single bruise. Ibiki had not gotten all of me, though. He had at least left me with this.

My mind finally chose to wander slightly. Itachi's face… the only image I saw of him was his last one. The one he died showing. The torture had stretched to include some of the other, better known, Akatsuki. They had tried to torture Kisame in front of me. They had not gotten him right. They had aimed for Madi, but could not get her eyes right. Their torture was only pain and sorrow to me.

I closed my eyes to the black. I was beginning to slip. I was slipping into something dark again. I wasn't turning into Hidori. I wasn't dying. I was, in my opinion, losing my mind. I was so tired. I was tired enough not to care about finding a way out. I didn't care if I died. I didn't care if the others left me. I was wallowing in my own despair, ready to lie down and allow them to poke and prod at my mind. Of course, I would not tell them anything. I would never speak. That was more of a definite than something that needed determination to do.

You could ask what kind of pain this was. It was not only the sickly horrific death of Itachi Uchiha. My pain consisted of reliving every bodily pain Ibiki himself had ever suffered. He magnified the pain along as with the sorrow and the dread of thinking anyone else would die for me. I was becoming nothing but a shell. I was still sane enough to realize that.

I was also sane enough to realize that if I really did go insane, they were going to kill me. I knew that 'they' were Danzo and Ibiki. I didn't know who else had helped get me in here. The last I remembered was Shikamaru and Sakura, unsuspectingly, putting me back to sleep for someone to fetch later.

I opened my eyes again and blinked. Ibiki was back. Only this time he seemed… Ibiki seemed to be dreading something. I watched his blank face as he slowly approached me. "Can you not think of another thing to try on me, Ibiki? Is there nothing else you will try? Will you only repeat this?" Ibiki did not reply. He merely began to continue his interrogation. He was trying faster now, rushing for something.

I smiled tiredly and allowed the horrible pain to sink into my skin. I fell back at the impact. I was not going to tell. I could not tell. I would truly go insane before I told Konoha anything yet.

-!-

Konoha Hospital Room 317

Kurenai gazed out the window, arms crossed in thought. Her eyebrows were pulled together, and a worried frown was plastered on her lips. An alarm had ripped through the sounds of the village. The night was wrapped around Konoha like a shield, hiding everything from view. Ninja leapt about and landed in areas designated to them for watch. Kurenai's eyes moved to Asuma. He had not awoken from the coma yet. His condition was stable for the time being, though.

Kurenai looked back out the window. A creaking sound caught her attention as the door opened. Kurenai turned and her eyes widened. "What?!" The person there looked from her to Asuma. Kurenai leapt up and positioned herself between them and Asuma. Her eyes locked firmly with theirs, and they spoke. "I came to ask 'him' a question." Kurenai looked around frantically for something to fend them off. The person stepped closer and stated, "I just need a word."

Kurenai shook as she thought of defending three people all alone against this person. "You are Akatsuki," she whispered in fright. The man nodded slowly. "I only need a word." Kurenai glared at him furiously, unable to contain her anger. "Asuma is in a coma because of your kind! He is near death because of you!" The man looked to the empty bed and sighed. "Move aside." Kurenai did not.

Her arms shook as the man walked forward, cloak swishing in the air as he moved closer. She moved to attack him. He sighed and pressed a pressure point near her neck. She dropped, a stunned look crossing her face before she fell limp. His arms encircled her and lifted her easily onto the spare bed without effort. Kurenai groaned in pain and desperately reached over for the comatose Asuma.

The Akatsuki male walked over to Asuma and looked into his face. "So, Morgan is here because of you?" He looked angry but pressed his hands to Asuma's chest. Kurenai wanted to scream. She wanted to jerk up and save her love. She could not move.

Asuma's eyes squeezed and opened slightly in a half daze. She sucked in a breath of shock as his eyes cleared, and the man looked up blearily at the Akatsuki. Those orbs widened and he jerked up into a sitting position. The Akatsuki man stepped back from him, raising a hand placatingly. "I only need a word from you. You stole our youngest member. I deserve a word." Asuma looked shocked.

The man looked away, hiding the brief flash of desperation that crossed his face. "Will you help me get her out?" Kurenai and Asuma both felt a wave of shock and confusion roll over them. "I want your help to rescue her. Danzo has her. Danzo has taken Morgan in for interrogation." Asuma was unable to speak, and the man continued. "Morgan saved your life. Because of her, you can live with your lover and child in the future. And on return, she was taken hostage. I want your help. Repay your debt to her."

Asuma blinked in shock and glanced to Kurenai. His eyes widened upon seeing her condition. The Akatsuki man interrupted his panicking thoughts. "She is fine. She will be released as soon as I get your answer. Will you help save the woman who saved your life?" He watched as Asuma sat straighter and took a sharp intake of breath before coughing. "Of course. Who needed the emotional speech? I needed a way to repay her anyway."

The Akatsuki man looked pleased before turning and releasing Kurenai. "You are remaining here. Your child needs to be protected." Kurenai looked up at him warily. "Why aren't you-?" "Why am I not trying to kill you? Simple. If Morgan thought this man special enough to live, he will. But she will not die for him. Do you understand?"

Kurenai looked bewildered but managed to nod. He turned back to Asuma and tossed a weird cloak and mask onto the bed at his feet. "Wear this. You might not need all of Konoha knowing you are out of bed." Asuma nodded and the Akatsuki man left. Kurenai immediately rushed over to Asuma. He sighed and leaned against the wall, hearing her begin to weep at Asuma's bedside. "You have ten minutes to say goodbye. I never got to."

-!-

Ibiki leaned on the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't get anything from her. She won't let anything slip." Danzo frowned. "You must be quite incompetent not to be able to snap the mind of a mere girl-child." Danzo smiled coldly. "I will try now." Ibiki looked stunned and argued, "Give me more time! All I need is a little more time!" Danzo appeared to ponder his words for a moment. "We have infiltrators in our village. We do not have much time. We need the information soon so we may kill her."

Ibiki nodded and chewed on a soldier pill. Danzo turned halfway back towards the door. "I am leaving for the moment. I expect progress when I return, Ibiki." He left without another word. Ibiki tensely looked down at the girl. He growled in determination and moved back inside once more.

He had to win against the girl. He had to beat her. He would get the information. This would not end in loss. Ibiki was sure he could defeat ONE little GIRL.

-!-

Asuma finished with Kurenai and pulled the cloak over his shoulders. Kurenai whispered through a soft set of tears. "Please be careful… I can't lose you again." Asuma smiled. "You didn't lose me before. I will be back soon." He leaned down and kissed her quickly before pulling the blank mask over his face.

He stepped into the hall. The man waiting there lifted a needle. "This will make your chakra seem different, even to a Hyuga. You won't be known to anyone." Asuma injected himself and felt the small change. "All right, let's go."

The man nodded and walked across the hall and into a deserted room. He looked out of the window and glared back to Asuma. "Turn on me and I will kill you." Asuma nodded calmly and the two dropped from the building to the earth below.

Two shadows in the night, they darted in the direction where Morgan was. The Akatsuki shadow made a movement with his hand and Asuma fell onto his right flank to follow. He nodded and slipped around a younger ninja, most likely a new chunin, and into the street surrounding the interrogation center.

The man ahead hissed as he jerked back and threw Asuma to the side just as a wave of fire lit the street between them. The three new Anbu ninja that landed in front of them stated, "You are under arrest." The man beside Asuma frowned. He jerked ahead and ran at them.

The first began to call in backup as the Akatsuki cloak wrapped around his neck and tightened. He pulled the cloak and swung the first man into the second. The first man was knocked unconscious by the attack. The second was trying to recover. The Akatsuki out maneuvered the third man and knocked him out easily. The second man seemed about to call out when Asuma knocked him out from behind.

They two both nodded to each other and darted inside the building. The empty hall caused both men to freeze slightly. A swish of a cloak and two people stood behind them. The Akatsuki man relaxed slightly. Asuma, on the other hand, moved into a defensive stance. The two newcomers were covered in shadow, faces hidden from view.

Asuma demanded, "Who are you?" A girl's voice he recognized asked, "Asuma?!" Asuma's eyes widened behind his mask. "Sakura?" The girl stepped forward, wearing the same outfit Asuma had been told to wear. The man beside Asuma stepped forward. "Did you get the information?" The second newcomer frowned. "She didn't even know her charge was missing. She was told another nurse was taking care of her in a different room. We were waiting for you to arrive in order to have a little more aid in beginning the search."

The man nodded. "Good job, Madi." The girl grinned smugly, stepping out of the shadows. "Not so bad yourself, Uchiha."

End Song: Pain by Jimmy Eat World


	127. Chapter 127

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 127**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Madi grinned up at Itachi. "You are doing very well now, Itachi!" The man nodded and glanced to the two people in the disguises. "I trust you won't turn on us. I promise you won't last long if you do." Madi nodded before gesturing behind her. "Sakura and I checked this building. Morgan isn't here. As you feared, they are hiding her."

Itachi glared at the ground. "Alright then. We need to figure out where they have hidden her. Sakura, Madi, you two get into the Hokage mansion and see if you can find any files. Make sure you aren't noticed or identified. I will take this one to the Anbu quarters."

Madi nodded with an affirmative mumble at the end. Itachi motioned for the group to scatter. Madi and Sakura took off in a straight line for the mansion. Sakura lead the way through the streets to make them almost invisible. Itachi and Asuma watched as they left. The man Morgan had saved asked, "Will Sakura be safe with her?" Itachi nodded. "She will be perfectly safe. She has the injection as well. She will not seem to be herself to anyone."

Asuma nodded and Itachi lead the way through the building. "Hurry up. I know some secret passages." Asuma followed the hurried man over to a wall. Itachi glanced around a moment before sliding his hand over the wall. He apparently found an abnormality and pulled the trap door to the side.

Asuma watched, stunned. Itachi stepped inside and began to run. The tunnel was low and dark, seemingly endless. Itachi was whispering numbers to himself. He counted low and quietly. Numbers passed by before he lifted a hand for Asuma to stop. Itachi placed his palm on the wall and it gave in. A sharp nod and Itachi had slipped into another hall.

"Where are we?!" Asuma demanded. Itachi glanced up at the low ceiling. "We are under Ichiraku Ramen as of now. We are almost to the secret entrance. Stay close." Asuma nodded and Itachi slipped through a shadow door.

A sharp crack was heard and Itachi jumped back out and into the hall to stand beside Asuma. Itachi switched into a fighting stance. Asuma copied him and waited. Kakashi Hatake stepped into the hall. Itachi's eyes glared at the man. Asuma's own widened behind the mask.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Asuma before looking back to Itachi. "So. Where do you think you two are going?" Itachi's face was emotionless except for the glare. He stated without any effort, "We are here only for the girl." Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "Is that so?" He slid into a fighting position and glared. "You will have to get through me first. I won't let you any farther into Konoha."

Asuma growled and stepped forward. "Kakashi MOVE!" Even with the mask, Kakashi knew the voice. "Asuma?!" Asuma nodded. "I am repaying a favor. That girl saved my life, so I will save hers." Kakashi looked at him in shock. "Do you understand what you are doing? This is treason!" Asuma sighed behind his mask. "That girl won't do anything to us. She is innocent of your accusations."

Kakashi looked to Itachi. "And what about this one? He killed all of his own clan except for his younger brother. He kills our ninja as if they were bugs. He will always come back for Naruto. I cannot let him pass." Asuma looked at his old friend, worriedly trying to convince him to step down. "I don't want you hurt, Kakashi. You are one of my closest comrades." Kakashi looked at him angrily and demanded, "So you would kill me in order to save a girl?"

Itachi closed his eyes. They were wasting time, and this wasn't Asuma's fault. "I talked Asuma into this charade. He agreed to help me find her. This is not for a village. This is not for an organization. This is for personal gain." Kakashi glared at him. "And what do you gain from this?" Itachi narrowed his eyes, smiling behind his cloak. "I will save the woman I love!" Kakashi's eyes widened. Itachi demanded, "Will you deny me that? If you do, prepare to fight. I will not take it easy on you." Sharingan eyes swirled at the Konoha ninja in front of him. Asuma watched carefully. Kakashi lifted a hand to his headband. With a swift flick he pulls it up to reveal his own Sharingan eye.

-!-

The Hokage Mansion was heavily guarded. Guards popped in and out through the passages with messages. Sakura looked to Madi with a small frown. Madi glanced back at her and whispered, "I don't know if you can or not, but take them out without a sound. Don't let anyone else see you." Sakura nodded determinedly. "Hai."

The two girls moved forward in the blink of an eye. Madi's open hand came down on the pressure point of the first guard. She pulled the man's unconscious form into the brush where he would not be found until morning. She transformed herself into him. Madi motioned for Sakura to move forward, and she attacked the next one. The woman managed to yelp in surprise. Sakura looked panicked. Madi appeared in her new form and finished her off. This woman was hidden. Sakura transformed into her as another ninja landed in front of them, asking what was wrong.

Sakura gestured nervously down a nearby street. "I thought I saw someone run by that way… wearing a cloak." The male ninja looked shocked and blew a whistle. Ten ninja took off in the direction Sakura pointed. The two girls nodded to each other and darted into the building's side entrance.

Sakura took the lead as she darted through hallways. A hand was raised to slow her partner. Madi nodded and stopped behind her at a corner. Sakura held up her hand. All five fingers were raised. So, there were five ninja waiting. Madi glanced down at her appearance. "Who am I?" "- -"

She stepped out into the open and all five ninja looked to her. Madi spoke in a male's voice. "I have a message for the Hokage." Two of the ninja glanced warily at each other. Madi thought for a moment that they would let her pass. Instead, the third ninja attacked her. Madi spun and ducked under the attack of the man and jumped up behind him. Her fists slammed into his back and he met the wall.

She spun around to see Sakura pound the next ninja into a wall. The three remaining ninja demanded, "Who are you?!" Sakura and Madi reverted to their original forms. Madi glared at them, making them tremble slightly. "I am Akatsuki. Prepare to die if you choose to linger." All three jumped into a fighting stance.

Sakura and Madi moved at the same time. The three were defeated and the two girls ran through the next few halls undisturbed. The Hokage's room was defended by three ANBU guards.

Madi smirked and gestured for her partner to walk forward. "Sakura, go in there as your normal self. It shouldn't be hard." Sakura nodded and burned the chakra changing liquid out of her system. She stepped around the corner and into the open.

The ANBU looked at her and nodded stiffly. "Business?" Sakura straightened confidently. "I have a message for Lady Tsunade." The man turned to his comrade. "Who is this?" "This is the Hokage's prize student. Let her pass." Sakura was allowed to pass.

The door opened. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?!" she demanded. Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Sakura! There you are!" He seemed relieved. Tsunade watched her in confusion. "Where have you been, Sakura? You suddenly just disappeared from the hospital without a word to anyone! We thought you had been attacked!"

Sakura looked to the side as Madi entered the room. She sighed, glancing nervously back at the doorway. "Anbu really get on my nerves." She smiled to Naruto and Tsunade. "Now, where did you hide Morgan?" Tsunade blinked in shock, glancing back at her student. "Sakura?!" "Morgan saved Asuma," Sakura said. "She is not a traitor to our village. What happened before was an accident. I want to help her."

Naruto took one look at Madi's cloak and glared at Sakura in shock. "You are helping Akatsuki?!" She shook her head slightly. "I am helping Morgan. That is enough of a difference." Naruto gaped at Sakura, seeming not to have heard her. "You are helping the people who murder people? You are helping the people who want to kill me? Why are you helping Sasuke's brother?! Why are you helping the organization that attacked us all those times?!"

Madi smirked. "She is helping for the same reason Morgan helped Asuma. Akatsuki and Morgan are two completely different things." Naruto was unable to respond. Tsunade looked down, "So you want me to tell you where Morgan is?" Madi nodded. "I will not let her die in the hands of people who do not understand her."

Tsunade sat down at her desk, holding her forehead in her hands and sighing heavily. "Believe it or not, I am on your side. Morgan would be our ninja had it not been for my mistakes. Those ninja died of a misunderstanding of mine. I am as much to blame as Morgan for before. She has not committed crime against Konoha in her time away. I will tell you where she is."

Naruto looked down to the ground and said nothing. His eyes were hidden from view, and his fists were curled up tight and shaking. His shoulders began to shudder. Both girls watched him. Naruto's head shot up. Excitement was etched all over his face. "Count me in! Here we come, Morgan!"

-!-

I felt another needle enter my skin as the pain from the last injection began to fade. I felt my back arch against the burn of this one. Ibiki's voice swirled around me. "This is the end, Morgan. You are going to die like this." I closed my eyes. The burn started in my right arm and began to spread to my fingers and on into my shoulder. I felt my chest tighten and burn. The slow creeping of fire moved at the pace of a snail across my body.

It was a pain that was indescribable. Ibiki demanded again, "Who are the Akatsuki?" "I will not tell you." My mind was wrapped around the pain. It was hard, combined with every pain I'd ever felt in my life. This burn combined with every pain I'd felt in my life… It was crushing.

I wanted to scream and groan and thrash. I wanted to do anything to distract myself from that pain, but I didn't have the motivation to do anything but accept the horrid agony. Itachi's face came to my mind again. I asked him, "Why did you have to try to save me? Why did you come and die? I am not worth you dying. Don't you know that?"

No tears could come anymore. The pain has dried me up. The fire was burning the water from my body. I was truly being burned from the inside out. I was dying and no one was coming. Everyone was elsewhere and far away from here. Itachi was dead. Madi couldn't come by herself even if she was alive. Kisame would not be here in time. I was alone.

-!-

He watched Itachi with his sharingan. Itachi waited with a kunai ready up his sleeve. Asuma stood in a ready position. Everyone was ready to attack. Muscle was flexed and ready to dodge if need be. No one was planning on losing if a fight arose. That was, until Kakashi straightened and stated easily, "Count me in."

End Song: Pain by Jimmy Eat World


	128. Chapter 128

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 130**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Naruto and Sakura were both dressed up in the cloaks with masks. Madi gave them the injections. Her voice was assuring and demanding as she issued commands. "Sakura, your job is to make it to the Anbu base and find Itachi. Once you find him, give him the information Tsunade has given us." Sakura nodded with an affirmative "Hai!" Madi glanced over to Naruto. "Okay now, I want you to help me hold the other ninja off of Sakura and the others. Do NOT use any jutsu that ONLY you know. That means no strange rare jutsu. Keep it down to kunai, shuriken, taijutsu, and shadow clones. Do you understand?"

Sakura glared at Naruto. "That means no Rasengan, you twit!" Madi bobbed her head and Naruto nodded seriously. Lady Tsunade turned to them and exhaled tensely. "Hurry up before anyone else can get here." All three ninja signalled a goodbye with a nod and leapt out of the Hokage's open window.

Sakura met earth first and a squad of ten ninja surrounded her as the others landed at her side. "I'm going to beat you all!" Naruto shouted. The Anbu started their attack. Madi darted forward and crushed one man's face, opening a pathway for Sakura. The girl maneuvered through the slight opening. Madi and Naruto pressed their backs together as they faced the other ninja.

"Ready?" Madi smirked. Naruto agreed with a determined laugh. Both threw up their hands, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Fifty of each of them moved to attack the Anbu, who were quickly becoming overwhelmed. More ninja came to battle the two trespassers. Madi smirked and sent her clones at the incoming wave. "Bring it, losers!" She kicked one guy in the stomach and sent him sliding into ten others before Squad Uzumaki swarmed over them.

Madi hoped that Sakura would make it in time. Tsunade had told her that by this time… Morgan was not going to be in a good state at all.

-!-

Kakashi was well hidden behind his new cloak. He and Asuma were making good time as they tricked opponents into moving in the wrong direction. There had not been a fight since Kakashi had joined forces with Itachi and Asuma. Itachi kicked the first real opponent into a wall, then proceeded to toss him from a window so his clothes were stuck in a tree and he was left hanging there.

Kakashi led the other two ninja down a crooked hallway. Itachi tracked his exact movements knowing they were going in the right direction. Several loud shouts came from the hallways ahead. "This is only a diversion! The real attack is on the Hokage manor! Everyone move out!"

Itachi and the others all slowed to a crawl. "Madi…" Itachi cursed. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him. "They are doing this on purpose?" Itachi nodded in frustration. "This is Madi's way of giving us time to find Morgan." Asuma agreed and walked the last few steps before seeing the door to the record hall at last.

Itachi turned the handle and cautiously stepped inside. Traps were laid all over the floor and walls. Sharingan carefully scanned the room as the Uchiha maneuvered inside the room he had not been in for years. He arrived at the first file cabinet with grace and ease. Kakashi and Asuma arrived moments later due to the fact that they were not as confident. Itachi hummed in thought, shuffling the first few papers. "These are the most recent files. If the information is in this building, it will be here." Asuma turned towards the door to keep watch as the other two ninja searched through files as quickly and accurately as possible.

Itachi cursed, roughly shoving the last cabinet closed. "There isn't anything here! Crap!" Asuma looked back at him nervously. "Where else could Morgan be?" Itachi hissed, "She could be twenty miles away by now." It was at that time that the alarm at the door was tripped as someone entered the room. A scream shattered the air.

Itachi moved forward and cut Sakura down from the net that bound her. "You should watch yourself. Where is Madi?" The girl looked up at Itachi, quickly regaining her footing. "Madi and Naruto are using a diversion so you will have time to save Morgan!" Itachi's eyes widened. "You know where Morgan is?!" Sakura nodded.

Asuma and Kakashi moved forward to hear the answer to her whereabouts. "They are keeping her in a bunker on the top of the Hokage Mountain. Lady Tsunade said they should be in room three." All three male ninja nodded. Itachi looked at his group, quickly making the decision. "Kakashi, take Sakura and head back to help the other two in front of the Hokage mansion." Kakashi nodded and the two rushed out the door.

Itachi gestured for Asuma to follow. "Come on… We have to hurry…"

-!-

The blaze inside of my blood had spread from my right arm and through my torso within that first hour. Now the fire had consumed all but my shins and feet. I felt the burn all through my body and let it bleed into my every being. All I could think about was the death around me and that killing ache.

I knew that as soon as the rest of my body was consumed by the bonfire, I would die. My body was already overheating and scorching my veins of all water. The slow trickle of burn moved down a little more and a little more. All the time this was occurring, I was coming closer to death. My time was running out. These were my last moments.

I could have laughed at all the times I had 'almost' died. They were always my fault just like this one was. If only I had left earlier and saved some chakra, I could be at the base with the others right now, laughing.

I forced the thought of the base away so Ibiki wouldn't learn anything else. Itachi was dead this time because of my moronic ideas. Why was I such an idiot? Why was I so weak? Why was it always me who ended up kidnapped and half dead? Why was it always me who caused uproar over something stupid?

The answer to the question came in several parts: I was naive. I was a useless moron with no real talent other than the gifts I came here with. I couldn't protect anyone. I couldn't even save myself, much less another person. I wanted to bawl my eyes out, but I was far past being able to.

I was just a useless ninja who was brought into this world only to die a pointless death in the end.

-!-

It was two versus an army. Madi spun around and nailed her elbow into another man's cranium. Naruto backed up and pressed in close to Madi so his back was guarded. The ninja never stopped coming. Naruto and Madi were both breathing hard. Madi had even used a few jutsu, but the people seemed endless.

Madi coughed as one of them managed a lucky shot to her stomach. "There are just too many, Naruto." The boy nodded and pressed his back to hers as they prepared to face the rest. Madi cursed as two new ninja arrived. That was, until a loud boom and the sounds of battle were heard from further down the street. The force of Anbu began to lessen and lessen until the newcomers were facing Madi and Naruto. Madi's own eyes narrowed at the taller of the two wearing the disguise. The new, taller addition issued a shadow clone jutsu and shot to work.

Sakura ran over to Naruto with a cheer of delight. "Kakashi-Sensei decided to help out! Let's give Itachi and Asuma more time to get to the place fast enough!" Madi nodded with a new ambition as she, Sakura, and Naruto launched back into the fight with renewed strength.

-!-

Asuma and Itachi landed on top of Hokage Mountain with sharp smacks. Itachi took a rough breath and darted into the shadows, maneuvering his way to the bunker. Asuma followed just as quietly and quickly. The shadows morphed below the trees as the two passed under the light of the moon.

The small building came into view after ten minutes of running. Itachi allowed his Sharingan to blink red as he surveyed the building ahead. Itachi muttered the information he gathered from the colors he saw. "There are ten guards at each door. Four guards are spaced out in the trees around clearing. Three men are inside in building guarding her room. Three more men are inside her room and-" His eyes widened and he whispered in horror, "Morgan…"

Asuma tapped his shoulder. "I will take the back door. You take the front." Itachi nodded and shot out to attack the guards. The four in the trees were silenced by Asuma as he crept around the clearing to the back. From there, he jumped out into the battle.

Itachi slammed one man into a tree so hard that the tree shattered into splinters. The evident fury on the Uchiha's face was enough to scare his attackers into hesitating for only a moment. Itachi used the time he had won to smash two heads together and burn another with a weakened fire jutsu. His own breath was coming hard again like it had on the run to Konoha.

He cleared the ten guards easily enough before bursting into the main entrance. The three men who were waiting there attacked. Itachi, in a blaze of fire, cooked them all until they lay on the floor screaming in the same agony Itachi felt at the moment. Blood leaked over his cheeks as he stared up at the only door that lay ahead. He took a deep breath and swung the door open wide.

The first thing he saw was her. Morgan was laid out on a table. Her cloths were twisted and wrinkled. Blood was smeared over her skin from the torture she had endured. An expression of nothingness bathed her face in medicated sleep. Her wrists, elbows, torso, neck, stomach, waist, thighs, knees, shins, and feet were all strapped to the table with thick metal rings. Itachi felt pain and fear grip his chest at the terrible sight.

He then saw the three others. One he knew as the torture op, Ibiki Morino. Another he recognized from his Anbu days as a beginner. But it was the third person that Itachi saw as the most dangerous threat immediately. The man named Danzo.

Itachi felt his Sharingan blaze and swirl. Danzo smiled. "Ah, what a pleasant surprise, Itachi! I never expected you to find us until she was long dead!" Itachi glared and took a menacing step forward. "Give her back." The elderly man moved and touched Morgan's face. "She is very beautiful, Itachi. I can see why you fell for her." Itachi drowned the man in front of him in his own anger as he yelled, "DON'T TOUCH HER!" He lunged forward and straight into the defenses of Ibiki and the other Anbu ninja.

Mongekyou whirled and the two were lost in Itachi's genjutsu. The younger Anbu fell quickly, but Ibiki struggled. Itachi pinned him to the cross, not bothering to appear emotionless. "This is for the pain you gave to her. You have no idea what kind of fury you will receive from not only me! I am going to give you eternal pain for seventy-two hours. Will you be able to continue after this?" Ibiki was lost in the punishment of the Akatsuki's own Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi let him drop onto the cold ground. All that was left was Danzo. All that stood between Itachi and Morgan was the man who had given Itachi the mission of killing his own clan. Sharingan eyes faded as the last of Itachi's chakra was lost. The man smiled, appraising him. "You try too hard for her, Itachi. She does not deserve such a powerful man as you. She is too weak to even defend herself. The girl gave up all of your organization's secrets long ago."

"I don't care what she said," Itachi scoffed. "I don't care what I've done now. I will not let you stand in my way, Danzo. Now move aside and let me have her." Danzo chuckled darkly at that. "Do you really think you can beat me all by yourself with no chakra?"

Itachi let his head drop and a smirk danced over his face. "Who said I was alone, you old bastard." A small laugh was heard as Madi sauntered through the door and stopped beside Itachi. Asuma walked in, mask over his face, and leaned on the wall to watch. Kakashi stepped through the entrance and stood a few feet behind Itachi and Madi. Naruto, too, walked inside and over to Madi, disguise included. Sakura joined the conversion of allies and stood next to her teammate, also in her cloak and mask.

Itachi laughed quietly. "You see… that girl has allies. She has allies you could never hope to overwhelm, Danzo." Another man stepped into the room, growling when he saw Morgan. "So this is the bastard who locked Morgan up here, eh? He doesn't look so tough to me." The man walked up to Itachi's right side and smirked down at the old man. Itachi chuckled, his eyes closing briefly. "It's about time you got here, Kisame…" The tall man nodded. "Morgan being here is my mistake as well. And we can't leave her here with men like these."

Itachi looked up to Danzo, Mongekyou swirling in a black and red blur. "Do you feel so strong now, Danzo?" All seven allies stood together, chakras overflowing into the air around them, scorching it. Itachi chuckled. "Can you defeat us all without revealing yourself to the world, Danzo?" Everyone smiled in excitement at the impending fight. "We win, Danzo. And that… That means that you lose."

End Song: Not an Angel by City Sleeps and Dark

And

Dark Side of the Sun by Tokio Hotel


	129. Chapter 129

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 129**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Author-chan

Can you believe that 100 chapters ago Shikamaru and Morgan had just re-met in front of the Akatsuki base? It seems so long ago doesn't it…? Ah… now I am feeling nostalgic…

-!-

Itachi glared up to Danzo, Mongekyou spinning in a black and crimson blur. "Do you feel so strong now, Danzo?" All seven allies stood together, chakras overflowing into the air around them, scorching it. Itachi chuckled, "Can you defeat us all without revealing yourself to the world, Danzo?" Everyone smiled in excitement at the impending fight. "We win, Danzo. And that… That means that you lose."

Danzo's eyes travelled over the seven excited bodies before trailing to the two unconscious Anbu at his opponents' feet. He sighed, "It seems as though I have been beaten this once, Itachi…" Danzo smirked and watched Itachi's expression as his gnarled hand caressed Morgan's left cheek disrespectfully. Itachi flared up, furious, and took a single step closer. "If you don't hurry, she will soon die of the medicine she has been injected with. It would be most humorous if she still died after all of this, Itachi." Danzo turned and dissipated into thin air like a ghost. His voice lingered in the air like death. "Most humorous indeed."

Itachi wasted no time in rushing over to Morgan's side. He caressed her face ever so gently and whispered, "We are all here. Hold on and we can have you out." Asuma tossed Itachi the keys that had once been under Ibiki's ownership. The man clicked them into the claws of iron that held her prisoner, and Morgan's body was freed at last.

Sakura darted forward and attempted to move over Morgan's body in a swift examination. Her eyes were wide and frantic. "She was given a drug that burns the liquid out of the body. This is not good!" Asuma demanded, "How far has it spread?" Sakura's hands lingered over Morgan's body and her hands trembled slightly. "She is all but gone…"

Itachi immediately looked around the room. "They must have some sort of antidote! If something happened they would need an antidote to fix the situation." Kakashi leaped to move over Ibiki's form. Sakura gasped, "Hurry, Kakashi-Sensei! This is it! If Ibiki doesn't have it, Morgan will…" Kakashi sailed towards Sakura with a vial in his hands. Sakura clutched it and injected the anti-venom into Morgan's right arm.

Everyone waited in quiet restlessness. Asuma, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura all yanked their masks from their faces and crowded around to wait in paralyzed expectation of anything. Itachi held Morgan's heated hand in his cooler one. He felt the heat go down until it was at a normal temperature.

His eyes widened and he shouted, "Her temperature… It's…" Madi clamored in glee. "She's coming back to normal! We did it! We made it in time!" Everyone cheered.

Itachi watched as his hand that gripped Morgan's shook. Her warmth entered his skin. Itachi felt his shoulders begin to shudder in relief. His let his head drop so his chin rested on his chest. A rough sigh parted his lips as he gasped. His lifted her hand up and pressed the skin to his lips. "Thank god…" he whispered. Itachi felt a clear, colorless tear glide over his cheek and drip onto her arm. That small drop fell silently over Morgan's skin.

-!-

I felt my body begin to sleep. My body was numb to everything except the pain. Ibiki had left me to die. I kept my eyes closed as I waited for the inevitable. My mouth moved and whispered Itachi's name. The blaze made me feel so cooked. That destructive pain wrapped through me as I waited for death to lift me from this body and soar with me away from here.

I felt something enter my skin again. My eyes flew open in shock and I gasped as vision snapped back into my blank eyes. The heat was drifting from my body almost as if it had never existed. I yelped out and felt a tear slide down my cheek. More came after that until the stream was never ending.

Where had the water come from? I had been dried of my tears! I didn't have strength to scream out! What was going on?! Was Ibiki trying to save me so he could try again?! What was happening to me?!

I couldn't open my real eyes, they were too heavy. I was coming closer to the body now that the pain had been stripped from me. I felt and heard things. My mouth opened in shock as I heard Madi's voice right beside my ear. She was cheering and laughing. I picked out Naruto and Sakura in the crowd as they called my name and chided. I heard several relieved sighs. Kisame stated, "You gave us a scare there, Morgan!"

I blinked in shock. What was happening?! What's going on?! Asuma clamped a hand roughly on my shoulder. "I guess we're even then, eh?" Kakashi hummed in amusement. "You are so strange, Asuma. I hope your kid takes after its mother." I felt a shudder of joy wrap around me and clamp around my heart. My tears flowed endlessly down my face. I choked on them and wanted to laugh.

And then another voice entered my ears and rung in my mind with the force of landslide. "Thank god…" I knew that voice. I felt warmth in my hand as another palm gripped mine. A drop of something landed on my arm and rolled over the skin. I realized a second later that it had been a tear. I screamed and opened my real eyes.

-!-

Naruto turned at the shout and cheered. "She's awake! Look Sakura, she made it!" My eyes opened and looked around in bewilderment. "What?" I mumbled. "We made it, Morgan! We got here just in time!" Madi danced around the table. I blinked up and felt both horror and awe as I saw a dead man before me. I had never expected to see his painless face again. "I-I…Itachi?" Everyone seemed to realize something was up. The others went silent as I fought to sit up.

I demanded, "You're alive?!" His black eyes looked into mine, and pain reverberated through me. A smile covered his face as he whispered, "I was never dead." My eyes widened and I gasped, "But Ibiki said-!" Itachi moved forward and hugged me to him. "Ibiki lied."

I strangled as I tried to form a sentence. Itachi silenced me with, "I am here, and we made it! You are going to be fine, Morgan!" I blinked in shock and let my mouth hang open. Itachi shuddered and gripped me tighter to his chest. I felt his body heat mingle with mine. I felt a tear caress the base of my neck lightly as he let them fall carelessly.

I finally forced my mind to work, struggling and forcing out, "How did you…?" Itachi whispered, "Madi had to help me get here. We tricked some Anbu into thinking they killed us. I got Asuma as soon as we arrived in Konoha to help us find you. Madi caused an uproar and found Sakura. Kakashi and Naruto joined in as soon as they knew what was happening. And we got here just in time."

I felt my shocked mind whirl at what he said. I then remembered everything Ibiki had put me through. I closed my eyes and gently but firmly pushed him away. "Prove it." He moved back and watched my face in confusion. I said it again, "Prove you are really Itachi." His eyes stared into mine, looking for answers. "Morgan, I…!" I shook my head as I interrupted with a half explanation, "I-I was shown Itachi Uchiha's death! Prove to me who you really are! Prove to me you are not genjutsu or a lie!"

The others gaped in muted shock. Itachi's eyes lowered in anger. "What did they do to you?" Kisame understood and motioned for everyone to leave the room. The others scattered hesitantly out the door. Kisame lingered a half second before dragging Madi and the two Anbu away after him. The door was closed.

I watched the floor several feet from Itachi. I repeated in a forced whisper, "Prove you are Itachi Uchiha." My heart felt deadened like it was made of lead. Itachi Uchiha had been dead. I had thought this so hard and long that it was etched into my mind. I would never forget that. If I lived to become immortal I would remember that expression of death that had reigned on his face.

Itachi moved forward and held me to him again. The man pressed his forehead into the crook of my neck. He asked in a murmur, "What do you want me to do? How do I prove who I am?" I didn't answer. Itachi caressed my cheek with a gentleness I remembered. "What do you want me to do to prove it?" I looked away. The pain was too great. If he tried to prove himself and failed, I would feel that immense pain once more.

Itachi leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine in a sweet and lingering kiss. I felt a shudder in my chest. This felt like Itachi, but anyone could kiss me. I shook my head as he moved away. "That is not proof enough." Itachi frowned and pulled me to my feet. I blinked in surprise as he took one of my hands before placing his other hand on my waist. He began to spin me around the room. His face was buried in my hair near my ear. He whispered only to me. "Your name is Morgan Stream. You are not from any place with a ninja system of law. Your religious beliefs won't let you become one with a man until after marriage. You have a laugh that makes others feel regretful for not joining along. You fought for your rights even against the Akatsuki.

"You once had a rival called Hidori Morino. You were saved by me when you fought her. Your old friend, Drew, left after Hidori. You lost one of your best friends on a mission. You have been through enough heartbreak to last a lifetime. You saved a man's life as well as a child's future father. You sacrificed yourself to a village that tried to destroy you. And…" He stopped, having lead me all over the room in a perfect swirl. "I've nearly lost you way too many times."

His arms tightened around me as he held me to him. "I've finally found you again, Morgan." I looked up and whispered in both awe and excitement, "Itachi?!" He pulled away and looked me in the face. I felt a tear leak over my cheek. I stared into his pale face. "It really is you. You are really alive!" He nodded and smiled. His next line was sweetly sarcastic. "So, you figured that out all on your own?" I tackled him in a rough embrace and he smiled again.

The door opened and Madi struggled to enter. She screamed over her shoulder, "Hey, I had to help too! I deserve to give her a hug just as much!" She slipped in and laughed as she added to the hug between Itachi and me. I smiled and felt more tears fall as I hugged her too. "I thought you were both dead!"

Naruto bounded over with Sakura in tow. "Hehe, and we helped!" I wiped away a tear and thanked them. Kisame walked in with the other two. I hugged him tightly and shouted, "You big idiot! I can't believe you would try and save me!" Kisame chuckled and ruffled my hair. "I've tried before, you know. But YOUR idiot always seems to get there first." He grinned widely down at me.

I laughed weakly and spotted the other two. I felt glee enter my chest and, for a moment, I felt as if I could fly. "Asuma! You're okay!" He nodded and I smiled even wider. He gave me a mock glare. "You put me in a coma though, kid." I smiled at him and he returned the expression with ease.

Kakashi walked up next to me and cocked his head to one side. "Nice to get a welcome too." I smirked at him, but it quickly fell and I demanded, "Where are Shikamaru and the others?"

Kakashi looked away. "Well, I kinda sent Kotetsu and Izumo with them on the mission the elders sent them on." I frowned. "What mission?" The room fell silent and everyone seemed reluctant to give the answer to my question. I noted their reluctance and narrowed my eyes in worry. "What is it? What was the mission?"

Madi was the one to speak up. "Um… Shikamaru was issued on a mission to kill the Akatsuki members who attacked Asuma…"

My eyes widened in absolute horror. "No!" I struggled to move towards the door. Itachi immediately stopped me. "You can't take off again!" I whipped around to beg him with pleading eyes. "I came to help all three of them! I can't leave it alone like this!" Itachi held me still for a moment and took a breath. "You cannot go alone." I looked to him and asked, "Will you come with me?" He frowned but nodded. "Of course." I felt a small smile grow on my lips.

Kisame looked at the door then back to us. "Regardless, the next step is not to attempt anyone's rescue. First, we must escape this village." Itachi glanced to me and smiled. "That's the easy part." I agreed with another smile. Kisame sighed and smirked at me. "Especially with that disastrously weird new jutsu of hers." Everyone looked at me in confusion. "New jutsu?"

End Song: Dark Side of the Sun by Tokio Hotel


	130. Chapter 130

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 130**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet/ Lucifer's Angel by Rasmus

Itachi reappeared from outside and relayed his status report. "The Anbu ninja are swarming. It would be best to get out now, while we still can retreat without a fight." Madi dipped her head in agreement and scanned over every face until she met mine. "Are you sure your new jutsu can really work well enough?" her blunt voice demanded. I smiled slightly and answered as plainly as I could, "It can trick anyone who sees it." Kisame nodded. "Worked well enough for us." Itachi's eyebrow rose as a thought clicked in his head. "That was the shield you used during the Akatsuki meeting." I agreed with a bob of my head.

Asuma spread a map out over the table's icy metal top. Itachi motioned to different areas in arcs with his finger over the paper. The easiest escape routes were the most covered. Asuma took notice that one section was mainly unguarded. He looked to Kakashi questioningly, who shrugged. "It is more open because it leads back towards Anbu headquarters." After a moment of muted discussion, we choose that route of escape.

Sakura and the other Konoha ninja dressed in their nondescript costumes and were injected with the last doses of our chakra morphing medicine. I practiced slightly to make sure I had a good hold on my jutsu before being put to the test in our escape plan. Everyone waited until I gave them my signal. "Move on at a swift pace. To anyone, you will look, seem, and feel like you're birds."

Kisame snickered when they looked confused. I frowned in turn and decided to show them my example. I draped a shield around my form and hugged it to my figure. I morphed the position of the edges and flats until the light reflected what seemed to be two small puppies. The animals wagged their tails. I asked from behind where they could hear me, "Do I still have human chakra?" Everyone let out a sharp gasp. I knew I was being admired even as the jutsu faded into nothingness.

The team split into squads of two. Sakura and Naruto became sparrows. Kakashi and Asuma were each dark colored owls. Itachi and I changed behind my barrier into two small brown birds I'd seen when we walked through Konoha. Kisame and Madi changed as well before we were all unique enough to be released towards escape.

Each separate squad went a slightly different direction. Even through the disguise, Itachi seemed serious and hurried on our mission of escape. His hand slipped around mine as he lead me slightly. His grip was tight enough to prove just how nervous he was to find our freedom once more. Sharingan eyes glanced to mine, and a soft smile was delivered before Itachi lead our group into the tree line. Anbu, as we knew, were just ahead.

The first one glanced up as Itachi and I neared. His mask faced us and watched carefully, almost in thought. Itachi's hand tightened around mine just a bit. I passed him and darted on down the hill. The edge of Hokage Mountain was coming into view. No one was as relieved as Itachi to see the sight.

That was, until three Anbu appeared in front of us. Itachi and I slid to a stop. My images split. The barrier stretched as the images of the birds flew up and into the sky. They continued until the two split and hid us. We stood, perfectly still. The only thing an average Anbu would have been able to see was the forest behind us. Kakashi and the others were all caught the same way.

The three Anbu men looked to us. The first one tilted his head in my direction. "You can drop the jutsu. I can see straight through it." I blinked and realized who our opponent was. "Torune… Fu…" The man stiffened slightly. "I do not know how you know our names, but I will stop you." I let the shields fall. Fu spoke without a single drop of emotion, "There is no use hiding." I glowered at him and curse both them and my own stupidity. "I didn't think for a moment that they'd send a member of the Aburame clan… or a sensor. That Danzo…"

Kisame's eyes flickered briefly with curiosity. "Bugs eh? Sounds like this could be an interesting fight." I glanced to him in warning, daring him to move. Itachi tugged my hand gently and spoke without looking away from the Anbu, "We can't afford to waste time fighting here." Sakuras sighed impatiently. "Then let's move on with the other plan!" I glanced to her and smirked. My eyes returned to the two experienced Root ninja. My voice was calm, clear, and effortless as I issued the command. I was the leader. My lips moved and I commanded, "Scatter."

Itachi and I leaped to the side as Kakashi and Asuma blazed through our gap and attacked them. My microscopic chakra spikes darted up and blocked the flock of bugs aiming for them. They ate at it, causing a jolt to pin my shoulders in momentary pain. Kisame saw it and moved to attack. The insects plummeted to the ground, dead.

We did not have time to fight. I smirked as a roar rose in my throat and transformed into a shout. "You guys know what to do!" The response to this was a bit of a chuckle or laugh from each of my party. Sakura ran forward and pounded her fist into the ground. A huge crack appeared. Kisame and the two other jounin swung into action and covered one another as the three Anbu were cornered against the ditch. I then used my own slight knowledge of earth to collapse the ground at their feet and toss them into the crevasse. They seemed about to recover, so my spikes formed over the top like prison cage, and I sealed the ground. The other jounin added their own power. We sealed the Anbu into the hole swiftly. By the time they could work their way out, we would be long gone.

Without a look to one another, we moved to the edge of the mountain and sailed down the side of Hokage Mountain in a straight shot for the exit. I landed easily beside Kakashi and nodded once more. We all began to dart in our own directions.

I hissed in shock as the earth beneath my feet shifted, and my body was tossed to the side. My balance quickly regained, I stood and looked back at the attackers. I blinked in surprise. There were way more Anbu ninja here for us than I'd originally thought possible. Back to back, we all faced off in pairs. Kakashi and Asuma both attacked to stall while the rest of us devised another escape trap.

Itachi spoke as he punched one of them, "The Konoha ninja will need a way to stay in the village without leaving. Suddenly returning would be instant suspicion." I nodded and shouted through the battle noise to Sakura, "How long can you hold them off?" "As long as you need us to!" she replied determinedly. I smiled kindly. "I sealed the sensor up so my jutsu can be of use. I can handle a little. It might be enough for your escape."

Kakashi and Asuma fell back to get included in the plan. "Konoha ninja will cause a diversion until we can get far enough away," I murmured. "From there, I will assist your safe escape." Kakashi looked skeptical. "How will you do that?" I smiled. "You will know. You will see the perfect time." Everyone nodded. "Hai!"

Itachi, Kisame, Madi, and I retreated until our four backs were pressed together. We held some attackers off until Sakura and Naruto were fighting full blast hard enough to take away the heat. Madi and I took off into the air at the first sight of a clearing. Itachi and Kisame regained distance with us a half step later. The army behind us shouted for reinforcements. I shrouded us in my difficult jutsu, and the Anbu lost our trails. Escape would have been easier, had it not been for the chakra we'd all given up so early.

Safety was reached just beyond the borders of Konoha. I glided to a quick stop and spun on my heel. As I pivoted around and sent my chakra outwards from my own body, I watched and waited for my Konoha allies to flee.

-!-

Sakura was getting angry. "They just keep getting back up!" Kakashi cursed lightly and moved to attack. Suddenly, an Anbu appeared out of thin air behind him. Kakashi turned and saw his own build stand behind him. The multiple Kakashi's spanned out of the attack's range. No one was attacking the real Kakashi anymore, only his illusion.

The others realized it as well. Kakashi watched as each of his allies disappeared like smoke. Their illusions replaced them the moment they moved. The strongest of the Jounin shouted, "Scatter!" The four under the protection of the shield's shied away from the battle and let the illusions take the defeating blows. The barriers shattered into millions of bright blue sparkles.

Anbu jerked around as they tried to find the real ninja. Kakashi threw away the disguise and darted up in his normal form, his own chakra flowing thickly. "What's going on? I was outside the village training and heard all this!" An Anbu recognized him and froze momentarily in embarrassment. "Akatsuki were spotted in the village but we have lost them…" Kakashi muttered a quick curse. "I will secure the Kyuubi. You take off. Someone report to Lady Tsunade. Look for the injured! Hurry it up! Scouts to very gate! Move it!" He quickly took charge. The Anbu gladly obeyed his words.

Sakura, on the other hand, led Asuma and Naruto back to the hospital. Both looked up as something flared. They caught the last glimpse of Morgan and the Akatsuki departing Konoha.

-!-

Morgan slithered over the gate and landed effortlessly on the balls of her feet. Itachi hardly seems to have registered the drop as he landed without any seeming flaws beside her. Kisame was a little less graceful but twice as practiced. Madi landed with a grin and popped off running. Everyone followed her lead away from Konohagakure.

Morgan launched easily enough into the first layer of thick branches. Itachi ran beside her as Madi and Kisame fell in behind them. "Where are we heading?" Madi demanded. "Where are Kakuzu and Hidan?" Kisame raised his hand slightly to quell her. "I have the information." Morgan nodded, grabbing Itachi briefly as she tripped on a branch. "You lead the way." She closed her eyes and the others noted just how exhausted she was.

Kisame took the lead, with Madi and Itachi just a step behind. Morgan followed in the back, slower than them. She was breathing regularly and was keeping up as much as she needed to… but they could see the strain in her eyes. The once shining blue was slightly dulled.

Madi looked over her shoulder to Morgan and frowned. "I'll help you out a bit!" She leapt back and looped Morgan's right arm around her own shoulders. Morgan looked up gratefully. "You're the best, Madi."

Madi sent an angry glare back at Konoha in frustration. "What did they do to you?" Morgan looked to the space in front of her feet. "You don't know pain like that until you feel it." Itachi looked beaten, like he had been the one hurt. "Enough. You are safe now, Morgan." She smiled at him and leaned a little more into Madi's side.

Kisame slowed until Itachi was running at his side. "That newer jutsu takes a lot out of her," he said quietly. Itachi nodded slightly in thought and kept second position on the run. His eyes trailed to Morgan every few minutes to find her leaning more and more on Madi. Madi was taking the weight well. The dark haired girl nodded to Itachi, a protective look in her eyes. "I have her. I won't drop her." Itachi smirked slightly, turning back around as his partner spoke.

"We still have a ways to go, so let her rest as much as she can." Itachi nodded and faced forward. Without warning, he shot ahead of Kisame. His rough voice trailed back to them through the wind whipping past. "I'll lead a while. Tell me if I start misdirecting." Kisame looked confused. "EH?! You want ME to CORRECT you? ARE YOU SICK?!" Itachi, without looking back, shrugged slightly. "Yeah, let's put it that way."

… … …

I mentally cursed myself as I felt the blood slide over my chin. I rushed forward and took lead so as not to let the others see the remnant of disease in my body. My medicine was not with me. I had left without the vial in a panic to get to Morgan.

I pulled the rim of the cloak up and over my cheeks to catch the falling blood. Kisame changed my course slightly, and I continued bolting forward. I could not stop. I was not going to let my disease beat me down… no matter how close my relapse was coming. Both types of pain were beginning to overlap. The last episode where I lost my Sharingan was only a few more weeks in coming. And now my disease was kicking in. At this rate, I wouldn't make it through the rest of this mission. I cursed and continued running.

End Song: Darkside of the Sun by Tokio Hotel


	131. Chapter 131

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 131**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi's body crashed through the tree limbs in a flurry of limbs and tree branches. Kisame's arm captured the falling man and lowered him swiftly onto the only clear section of the ground. Madi and Morgan landed on the ground a half second later. Morgan knelt beside the fallen Uchiha as Kisame straightened his form out. Blue eyes widened in shock when she saw the rivers of crimson against Itachi's pale cheeks, trailing from where his eyes were closed. A rough breath rattled in his chest. He managed to cough out, "I'm fine… Give me a second and we'll go."

Kisame dropped to his knees and shuffled agitatedly through Itachi's cloak in search of something. Itachi shook his head shakily. "I don't have my medicine." Madi looked at the scene in confusion. "What's happening?!" Morgan hovered over Itachi as she checked his pulse. "His disease is setting in." Morgan's eyes lingered as she glanced to Madi. The girl growled in anguish. "But it kicked in on our way to Konoha and he recovered fine!" Shock rolled over Morgan's body as she spun around to look at Itachi once more.

He just shook his head again. "Just let me rest for a moment so we can go…" She hissed at him and muttered, "Your pulse is through the roof. You aren't moving anywhere." Kisame cursed and stood quickly. "Morgan, you go on! Madi and I will stay with Itachi!" The blond girl glared at him, but Kisame could see the growing nervousness in them. "Itachi needs medicine, Kisame. Without his medicine, and at the stage his disease is moving at… Itachi will die." Her fingers curled around Itachi's cloak as she began to remove it.

Kisame clenched his hands in worry. "What do you want me to do?!" Her frantic eyes closed for a moment in thought. "Kisame, you're the fastest of us right now. Can you try and get to a base where you can find his medicine?" The man bobbed his head as a quick answer, waiting for more. Morgan continued, forcing down the growing feeling of unease. "Madi… can you go on and try to save Hidan and Kakuzu?" Kisame stepped forwards tensely. "No way is she going alone! If those people can kill Hidan and Kakuzu, Madi might die as well!" Morgan realized that with a glare at her own knees.

Itachi twitched in pain and his hands curled around Morgan's wrists, leaving marks. "Madi… do you know where the next base is?" Madi looked away, giving Morgan the answer to the question. Madi would not be able to face Konoha ninja nor go for medicine.

Madi looked down at her friends desperately. "Morgan, why don't you go and save them! I can stay with Itachi! Kisame can go for medicine!" The blue eyes softened as she looked up at Madi weakly. "I… don't have a whole lot of chakra left, Madi. My body, even if it is hard to spot, has been through a lot. I can't fight them alone. Not to mention…" She looked at Itachi who was beginning to shake. "I am the only one of us that knows medical ninjutsu."

Madi wasn't calm. "I can stay with you, Morgan! I can help! I know I can help!" Morgan replied without looking at her, "Madi, I need you to go with Kisame to get the medicine." The dark haired girl was panicked. Kisame pressed a hand to Madi's shoulder. "Morgan is right. We need to hurry before something happens to Itachi." The darker haired of the two girls nodded and hugged Morgan quickly before shouting, "We will be back in time to save them! I promise you, Morgan!" Morgan grinned and the two ninja leapt off together into the trees.

Itachi's deep voice rasped as he finally opened his eyes. "You can go, Morgan. I will catch up." Morgan, in turn, smiled and lifted her wrists enough to gesture to Itachi's own hands gripping hers. "Liar." Itachi frowned as a wave of pain wracked through him. Morgan pressed on his chest and kept him lying down. "Hold still and let me help a bit." Itachi did not argue as her chakra slid over her hands and pressed into him.

-!-

It was exactly like the time in the hotel. Itachi had been in agony, but I knew absolutely nothing about how to help. Itachi was beginning to relax as the first waves of pain faded. He opened his eyes and muttered, "You should have gone. I am fine now." I frowned and shook my head. "You are still lying." His lips twisted sourly at my words. "Just go. This is important to you."

I smiled down at him. "There are other things higher on my priority list." I was being brave. I didn't know what to do. Kisame and Madi had only been gone a half hour at the most. They would not be anywhere near a base yet. My medical ninjutsu was not working. Hidan and Kakuzu were going to die if I did not arrive to help them.

Itachi leaned forward and I helped him stand. Itachi gathered himself and moved to walk. "We can move a little closer…" I nodded and took his arm as we clumsily jumped forward. It was only a matter of time until Itachi lost it again.

Itachi had used his Sharingan way too much lately. He had saved me from Orochimaru. He tracked me to Konoha. He rescued me from countless Anbu. Itachi had taken this pain as his only reward.

Itachi's hand tightened around my shoulder and I moved to the ground. The way we landed was the way we stayed. Itachi's head was pressed to my thighs. I leaned back on a tree and tended to him as best I could. I wiped away the blood and laid a cold, wet cloth to his forehead and over his eyelids.

He tried to hold back his expressions. I could tell how much pain he was in. My own eyes closed so I did not have to watch his agony. I had read his dying fight so many times in my world that seeing him in this current condition seemed a miracle now. How Itachi had held back his own excruciating pain during that fight was beyond belief.

The blood drenched the cloth and I rinsed it out with a canteen I had found inside of Itachi's cloak. I placed the material back on his face. His voice shook, and he reached out blindly. "Morgan, I-I'm…" I firmly grasped his hand and stated, "I'm here." His lips opened slightly in a silent shout before returning to a closed position. His teeth ground together.

He suddenly squeezed my hand, almost painfully, and shouted, "Why can't I do anything right?!" I blinked at him as he clawed the earth with his other hand. "I can't help Sasuke! I never could help him! I was a horrible brother!" He jerked to a sitting position, his fingers ripping at his eyes. I pried them from his cheeks and held them tightly in my hands. He looked to me as the cloth fell away. His eyes were out of focus, as if he were looking at something elsewhere.

He relaxed suddenly as his eyes refocused on me as I held his chest in my arms. His voice, though he tried to hide it, trembled. "What have I done?" His eyes seemed to shake as they stared at me. His mouth was open in a self-loathing smile. "Why?"

He was going insane from the pain. He tried to flex away from me and I held him tightly against me. "Itachi, don't move!" He froze as he looked at me. A line of blood slid down from his mouth. "I killed you… You are dead… I killed you…" I shook my head fiercely, feeling the tears begin to well up. "Itachi, I am not dead! I am right here! I won't leave you!"

He kept speaking as he tried to focus back on my face. "I killed all of my family… I killed you. I killed you all." I wasn't sure if the rivers running from his face widened due to tears or just blood. "All I left was Sasuke. All I could save was Sasuke. I made Sasuke hate me. I made him hate me and I killed you all." I was unsure who he thought I was, who he was talking to now.

"It's me, Itachi. This is Morgan… I am right here. You did not kill me." Itachi whispered almost to himself, "I am being held in the arms of an angel… So this is death. This is the revenge for all I killed." He seemed to relax. "I was told that I had to do what I did. It was my mission. I had to kill you." I smiled and looked him in his now-less-crazy eyes. "I am not dead. You did not kill me." I kept repeating it to him. "I am here. Here with you."

Itachi choked as a wave of new pain rushed over him. The eyes cleared for a half second and he shouted at me, "My god, I'm losing my mind… Morgan…!" He cursed. I let my fingers linger over one of his pressure points and knocked him out in mercy. That had to help in some way.

I lowered his head to the ground an inch or two from my knees. I replaced the cloth with a new, wet one. I finished removing his cloak and tucked the material under his head. It was the only thing I could try to make him more comfortable.

This was all my fault. If I had never gone, if I had been strong enough in the beginning, none of this would have happened. If I had let Kakashi kill me in the beginning, none of this would have happened. I strangled that thought from my mind. I had to stay willing and help Itachi. Kisame and Madi would not be back for a long time. We were ages from our destination.

Itachi's hand curled around mine as he half awoke again. He seemed sane enough. "I'm sorry… I really lost it…" I smiled at him and wiped away a tear. "Don't worry about it, Itachi." He smiled slightly and closed his eyes. "I thought you were my mother…" I blinked in shock. He smiled sadly, looking up at the sky. "You really did seem like her… You kept telling me that you were there for me…"

I replaced the cloth again and dropped it onto his forehead. "Itachi, I need to get some more water…" He nodded and closed his eyes. I pulled the cloth back down to cover his eyes. "Please don't move… I will be back, I promise…" He smiled ever so slightly.

I rose and dashed to the side in search of some source of water. I found a small creek and refilled the canteen. I ran back to find Itachi exactly the same as when I'd left him. He opened an eye and I replaced the now-red cloth with more water.

His eyes flickered around me briefly. "Where are the others?" I smiled and replied, "They are on their way here with your medicine. It's almost over." It was not. They were most likely not anywhere near the base yet. He sighed, "You are the one lying this time." I smiled and touched his face. He pressed my hand closer. "Morgan… if I lose it again… don't believe anything weird I say." I raised an eyebrow slightly in amusement. "I didn't believe you could say anything weird until now." He grinned through his evident pain.

I glided the cloth back down over his eyes as he passed out. My smile fell and I gripped his left hand more tightly in both of mine. I spoke quietly to both him and myself. "Where I live, I bet there could be treatment for you. In my world, I could save you. In my world, I would not need you to save me like this."

He whispered, I thought, in half-sleep, "Tell me more about where you live." I agreed with a bob of my head and began to whisper to him. "We don't have ninja. We rely on technology way too much and have advanced quite strangely. Instead of villages, we have towns and cities. Instead of Hokage, we have different leaders that we elect based on the things they say that he or she will do."

A huge boom ripped through the air. Shikamaru and the Akatsuki were facing off. Another huge boom racked my chest and body. I yelped out in fear and pain. Itachi stayed quiet. My calm facade was breaking, and I began to wail. "And my family always used to talk about how the government was messing up! We would complain about laws and leaders! We would watch the news and scoff at the rumors of actresses and newsmen!"

Another painful boom wrenched my heart in my chest and I cried out, "We had stories that told about you! I know your future as well as all of the others! You can't die, Itachi! This is not how you will die! I won't let you die like this!"

Itachi's shoulders shook as another wave of pain hit him. He cursed. "T-Tell me about your family…" I pressed my face into his chest to hide the tears on my face. "My mom was wonderful. She would always cook and clean for me…" Itachi's hand tightened around mine. "She would read me fairy tales and sing me to sleep when I was little. She would tuck me into bed at night and lay with me until I fell asleep. My mom hugged me as I cried and let me stay with her when I had nightmares!"

Itachi pressed a hand to the back of my head as he listened, trying to forget the pain. "Morgan… It's okay… You can go to the others…" I ignored him. "She would drag me out and take me shopping when we had the money… I remember reclining the chair in her car so I could go to sleep when I rode with her!" Itachi smiled slightly. "Your mother sounds wonderful." I nodded into his chest and wept. "My dad was great too!"

A boom rattled the earth around us. We both hid our pain and fears through the words pouring from my quivering lips. We both lost ourselves to the tone of my voice and the stories I told. I didn't know who needed the words more. I didn't know if Itachi needed it more to lessen his pain… or if I needed to finally let it all out.

Itachi's hand clung to mine. I let the words drift out and cover us both, sheltering us from everything that was falling apart.

End Song: Lucifer's Angel by Rasmus


	132. Chapter 132

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 132**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi's eyes were closed as he listened to my voice. His body had calmed for a few moments. I moved my face from his chest and replaced the warm cloth with a cool cloth before smoothing it back onto Itachi's hot forehead. He breathed deeply. I stopped talking. My voice became slower and more strained. My tone was lowered as I asked in a whisper, "Itachi?" He opened an eye and looked down at me. "Thank you." I felt a frown flash over my lips. "I can't do anything for you until the others get here, Itachi…" He smiled, barely. His voice came roughly, still in pain. He looked at me, his eyes full of adoration and a touch of… surprise? "You never left me… " I pressed my forehead to his chest in relief. His hands pulled mine to his mouth where he kissed them softly.

At least for now, Itachi was normal. He intertwined a hand in my hair. I replied in a half whisper, face still in his chest, "I could never leave you, especially not like that." It felt so cheesy to me and I wanted to laugh it off. Instead, Itachi's grip on my hair tightened and he closed his eyes. His blank face worried me. "Do you want me to talk you through?" Itachi agreed with a slight nod of his head. A huge explosion shattered the momentary peace. We both tried to ignore it. My words were the only remaining way to keep within our own circle.

I felt his grip pull from my hair and slide to my hand on his stomach. "Once upon a time," I whispered, "there lived an ugly girl." Itachi looked to me with a small grin plastered on his face. "No. She was beautiful." I continued, "She lived in a world where everything lay at her feet. That was, until the day everything changed. Her world was pulled from her grasp."

"She was taken to another world by a Holy Angel. The Angel that took her from her world told her that this was her destiny. He told her that she had to discover her destiny before she died. And so the useless pampered little girl was released into a world far more dangerous than her own. Scared, alone, and desperate, she ran away from everything."

Itachi smirked as he tried to force away the growing pain and keep his hearing to finish the story. I moved closer to his face as I changed the warm cloth with another cool one. "And just as she was about to die before her time, a knight appeared to save the ugly princess." Itachi shook his head, wincing slightly. "He saved a beautiful princess." "And he took her to his castle. Here she met the King and Queen of the future world. Taken in to be trained, she was allowed to live with all of the other knights."

Itachi chuckled. I continued as I let my fingers caress his. "The girl tried hard to please the knights, only to fall again and again into the clutches of the Death Angel who wanted her never to meet her destiny. Always, one of the knights was there to lead her from trouble. And it was that one of these knights that the ugly girl fell for in time. And so it came to be that the girl was kidnapped by the Death Angel and taken to his castle. With the taking of the girl, the many knights all readied to save her. Instead, only her love, his comrade Knight, and the first Lady Knight rode to save her."

I closed my eyes and let my fingers reach to his forehead as I spoke. Itachi smiled slightly, lowering a had to my back. "They rode to save the brave, beautiful, and confident Princess of their Kingdom." I smiled ever so slightly and continued to speak. "And so, while sustaining wounds, they saved the ugly princess from the Death Angel. They rode her away back to defend their own kingdom from attack when their nemesis, Death Angel, arrived and attacked the ugly girl's love."

Itachi watched my expression as I continued. "And so, fighting valiantly, her knight fell to the earth. He, in turn, made a pact with the Death Angel in order to save his love. He would not be around to save her when her time truly came. The Angel, thinking this both foolish and brave, agreed. And so the Knight lay on the ground in the ugly girl's arms."

Itachi smiled lovingly, careful not to let his pain show on his face. "You _are_ beautiful." I smiled and changed the warm cloth again. The blood was puddling around his face, soaking slowly into the ground. The many times I had attempted to wash away the red from his washcloth had coated the land in red water. Itachi lifted up a hand and caressed my right cheek. Through his pain, he spoke.

"Once upon a time, there lived a brooding knight in a castle of murderous Knights as well as a Dark King and Mischievous Queen who wanted control of their world. One day, the brooding knight and his comrade were sent out to destroy another kingdom." His hand touched my face as he looked into my eyes, waiting for something.

"While watching over camp one day, the brooding knight spotted a beautiful maiden. Curious, he followed her. He found her lying broken and forgotten in the dust of the ground. He, believing her a princess, brought her back to his homeland castle. There, the King and Queen decide to allow her to reside in the castle. She grew strong and even more beautiful under the watch of the castle consorts."

I chuckled. "She grew overconfident and idiotic." Itachi dismissed it with a shake of his head. "The Death Angel came for the Princess many, many times. He swore she was his enemy and wanted her dead. The brooding knight, having come to realize his love for the princess, defended her always."

He paused as I once again replaced the cloth on his forehead. "And so one day the Death Angel snuck around the Loving Knight and stole his Princess. The knight took as many consorts as his King allowed him to save her once more. He, facing any challenges in his way, came to her rescue and took her away with him."

His eye twitched but he kept going. "But the Death Angel attacked and wounded the Loving Knight in an attempt at the Princess. The knight, desperate to save the girl, struck a bargain with the Death Angel. The dark being took the bet and left the Knight in his Princess's arms at last."

I watched as a warm smile spread over his lips. I muttered in return, "And so the Brooding Foolish _Stoic_ Knight saved the Ugly Useless Moronic Girl." Itachi smirked. "You are none of those things. You are much more than Moronic." I giggled even as it mingled with the pain.

I watched in shock as he sat up. My body moved on its own as I stood alongside him. He whispered, "And so the Knight, even with his wounds, stood and led his love to their kingdom to find her destiny." I frowned and pressed on his shoulders. "You can't move right now, Itachi." He gave me a firm look. "I am fine. You have wasted enough of your life with a wasted knight."

I glared up at him furiously. "If you keep this up you really will die!" Itachi's head dropped to his chest where I couldn't see his eyes. He smirked. "Maybe my destiny was already completed." I moved forward and pushed him backwards until his back was pressed to a tree. "You are not going to die, I won't let you! Now sit down or the Princess will run after the Death Angel to dismiss the deal!"

Itachi looked to me and leaned forward until his lips met mine.I couldn't move. His pure love was torture now as he pulled away. He grinned peacefully. "I'll sit down." He lowered to the ground and I moved to work with his illness once more. All the time, the booms had been growing shorter and far between. I was worried. I was sick with dread. Itachi was sick. Kakuzu and Hidan were going to die. Madi and Kisame would not make it in time to save anyone. I could do nothing. Three men were going to die today.

Itachi's disease once again settled for a moment between waves. I shook my head, trying to wave away my feelings. "What is there about an ugly girl that reminds you of a beautiful princess?" He sat up farther and turned to lean on the tree. Itachi pulled me into his chest and into his lap. I looked up at him in surprise. He moved me so my back was pressed to his chest. He lowered his head so his mouth was near my ear. I saw his hair fall in the corner of my vision. "You are beautiful." I shook my head slightly. "I have a terrible face." His voice answered, "Your appearance is exotic. I have not seen anyone with a face like yours. Hidori, as I saw, resembles you, but… She is not you." I blinked. He continued, "Although this is all true, it is your personality that made everyone, including myself, love you." I said nothing as my throat closed. He whispered through the noise of another explosion. "You changed all of our destinies." I looked back and saw him grin. "I… I even got things settled with Sasuke."

I could say nothing. He spoke with finality. "You changed my destiny." I glared at him in defiance and he released me. I moved out of his grasp to stare at him. His eyes clenched shut tightly. He lay back down. He stated in almost a groan, "Tell me something else." I whispered as tears fell, "Where I come from, a million girls love you." Itachi looked up. "They can't know me like you." I smiled. "They know all about you." He chuckled. "But I don't know them. I only know you. I only need you." And the Uchiha in front of me slipped into merciful sleep.

I held Itachi's head in my arms. Tears slid over my face and dripped onto his cheeks. "Idiot… Idiot Itachi!"

-!-

Ground crushed around my feet as we arrive at long last. Breath caught in my throat. My eyes closed a moment from exertion and I bent over in half. Kisame joined me not nearly as tired as I was. He glanced to me, caution on his face. "Slow down, Madi! If you end up killing yourself over this, it'll will defeat the purpose of everything!" I glanced to him and continued her rough breathing. "Morgan… Morgan and Itachi are waiting for us…" I sucked in another glob of oxygen and tried again. "They are waiting for us to get back with the medicine."

Kisame looked to the side with a reluctant expression. I straightened my back. "What is wrong now, Kisame?" His eyes trailed slowly back and met mine, yet again, reluctant. "Madi… By the time we get back… Itachi will be dead." I felt my narrowed eyes widen to full circles. My knees shook as I stood. "What?!" Kisame looked away, fists clenched.

Kisame's voice pierced my mind like a lighthouse through a storm. "I wanted you to come… so Morgan could have her last words." I felt shock thrash inside of my chest. "What do you- what can you possibly mean by that?" Kisame looked away. "Madi… She knew it the moment he fell. She couldn't leave him then. She knew, in order to be with him the rest of his time, she would have to stay with him. Even your offer to stay with him was not enough to move her away from him. She sent you away so you would not have to watch him die as well."

I took a step back and away from Kisame. "No!" Kisame looked at me, eyes filled with sadness and resignation. "Morgan will be alone after this." I shouted back in my own agony. "No! Itachi can't die! Morgan needs him! He can't die!" "He will try and get her to leave him. He will try and get her away so she will not see him die. He will try-" I shouted back at him, "ITACHI UCHIHA WILL NOT DIE!"

I turned, tears etching themselves over my face, and darted into the base. Hallways and doorways passed me by as I made my way to where Itachi's medicine would be stored. I heard my tears hit the floor as I ran. This was not fair. Itachi could not die and leave Morgan!

My body shoved through a half decayed door. I found the room where Itachi stored his medicine in case of emergency. I fled over to the cabinet and flung it wide open. I felt my tears roll over my cheeks and fall to the floor. Itachi had one vial of medicine left. My eyes clenched tightly as I took it into my hands.

Kisame entered the room, eyes downcast. "Madi… It will be too late." I spun around and screamed, tears falling. "Morgan won't let him die before we get back! Morgan is too strong to let Itachi die!" I moved around Kisame in an attempt for the door. Kisame pulled on my shoulder and I faced him. His eyes were softer with me. "And what if we are already too late? What if we arrive and he is already long gone?" I glared at him. "He won't die. Morgan won't let him die! I already said that!"

Kisame grabbed my wrist. I tried to get away only to be dragged back and into his tight embrace. "Madi… I am telling you the truth. It was in his eyes. He knew it himself." My fingers curled into Kisame's cloak. I pressed my face into the material and wailed, "No!" Kisame whispered quietly, "We will be too late. Let Morgan have her last words with him…" I looked up to him. "And what if, somehow, Itachi is still alive? What if we can help him?" Kisame shook his head disbelievingly. "It will be a miracle."

I shoved myself away from him and out of the room into the hallway. "I am not going to give up yet! Even if there is the tiniest chance of survival, we hold his only hope! We have to hurry, Kisame!" He nodded and followed my trail of tears back to the entrance. I heard his voice behind me mutter, "That Idiot Uchiha… He has no idea what all he is leaving behind."

End Song: Ghost by Blue Foundation


	133. Chapter 133

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 133**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

…

The boom of an explosion dragged me from my half-consciousness. My chakra was wavering and my weakened body was beginning to waver between consciousness and half consciousness. I shook my mind into attentiveness and replaced the now-warm cloth on my love's forehead with the cooler side. The man awoke at my touch, and could feel the waves of agony again. His voice weaved through the cloud of my exhaustion. "Morgan… you're exhausted." I covered up his mouth with the palm of my hand and smiled reassuringly. "Do you want me to remember another story to tell you?" Itachi shook his head no. I thought of a story just in case.

I smoothed Itachi's hair from his face with a brisk flick of my wrist. "I'm not too tired, Itachi…" He touched my cheek with his fingers as he maneuvered up to sit in front of me. "Rest a little. I'm not going to die just yet." At his own confession of death, all traces of sleep leap from my body. "Idiot, you aren't going to die!"

Itachi hugged me loosely to him. "Don't lie to yourself. We both know how this day will end." I felt my shaking arms tighten around him as I laid my forehead on his shoulder. "Don't die… Please don't die…" Itachi pet my hair and pecked the top of my head as his only reply.

My breath hitched, and my head whipped up to look him in the eyes. "I don't want you to go! I need you with me…" Itachi, in turn, grimaced with a tiny shake of his head. "I will fight as hard as I can." I whimpered and leaned back into his shoulder. "You said you would never die but by Sasuke's hand. Even if you settled your mind with him, even if you told him why, you promised only to die by him. You can't lose to this. You can't lose here… not yet…"

Itachi's eyes widened as my breaths became more erratic and panicked. "You promised you would stay with me… You promised you would never leave me alone…" He attempted to quiet me. I couldn't stop. "I promised I would be with you until the end, but…! Itachi this hurts so much! I can't stand seeing you like this! I can't just watch you die! I can't break my promise!"

Itachi held me tightly to him as I wept for what seemed like the millionth time. His waves of pain wracked through his body in fresh shockwaves. He fought them back to listen to my words. "You said you had completed your destiny. Well, what about mine?! What if my destiny has to include you?! What will my future be if you die?! Will Hidori come for me?! Will I just be taken home because I lost?! What will I be without you here?!"

Itachi managed, "Morgan… I…" I refused to let him speak. "Do you want to die?! Is the pain so horrible that you want to leave me here alone?!" Itachi pulled back from me and gawked at my tears. I gazed up at him and demanded, "Are you going to give up on me? Can you not hold on a little longer and wait? Do you love me enough to try to live?"

Itachi yanked me forward and crashed his lips into mine. His hands forced me to remain in contact as long as he could. After a few brief moments, he pulled away, looking frustrated and somewhat different. His eyes almost seemed to hold something else… something new and foreign.

A blast ripped across the ground. Itachi stared at me through the onslaught of wind. As it quieted, I heard his whisper, "I don't want to die… I don't want to leave you alone. I can't give up on you! I love you! I love you!" His arms shook but his eyes were alight. "I won't give in. I won't leave you by yourself again."

My eyes peered at him, wondering at the change in him. "Itachi…" He flinched at the pain behind his eyes. His hands moved to cover them, his palm pressing against them harshly. He leaned down again until his forehead lay on my right shoulder. The bloodied hands moved from his orbs, his left hand straying to my right elbow and his right caressing my face. "There are so many things I want to say… I know if I say them all… I know if I get everything out I won't have to try to hold on anymore." I listened to him in shock. "I… If I don't say my last words now, if I don't tell you what I need to… I might have a reason to try harder…"

His body started to shake, and I could hear the fear plainly in his voice. "But… if I can't hold on and I die… you will never know everything I needed to say." I hugged him tightly, causing him to cave around me like a ragdoll. His arms slowly laced around me. His face pressed into my shoulder. "I love you."

I smiled and moved so he fell gently back onto the ground. His eyes closed in the pain but I felt a new type of resistance in him, stronger than before. He wasn't trying to live just to stay alive. He wasn't trying to live to die by Sasuke. He wasn't trying to live because of the things I needed to do. Itachi Uchiha wanted to live only to tell me his last words later. He wanted to live to be mine.

I pressed the cool cloth to his forehead and covered his eyes, singing softly and deeply with what was left of my voice. "Early Morning, dreary horizon… Aching hands are pulling a millstone… Wailing from the cart… Moaning from a shattered heart… he's burnt down many a bridge…"

My voice could not hit the high notes. I had a hideous singing voice. Only my deeper tones sounded well enough to be heard by the bravest of men. He turned his head slightly. "What song is that?" "It's called Ghost," I replied softly. He smiled. "It was supposed to be high pitched, wasn't it?" I smiled, "Yeah…" He chuckled roughly. "You should have more faith in your voice." His hand gripped mine and I managed to giggle. "You can't want to die that badly." He smiled. Yeah… he was definitely resisting more than before.

-!-

The vial slid from my hand. How I had lost grip on it I couldn't remember. Halfway through the jump, time seemed to slow. I saw it fall five feet below me on a course straight for the earth. My lips pulled open in a gasp as my body turned in an attempt to save it. My fingers missed it by mere inches. I lashed out and grabbed a limb. The vial continued to fall.

I could hear my heartbeat and breaths in my ears. My strangled gasps echoed in my head. I felt my pulse in my fingers where I slid across the limb in another attempt to save the vial of life-saving medicine. Air pressed in on my form and I felt even slower. The vial was so close to the earth now.

My fingers couldn't wrap around it fast enough. I screamed in frustration and horror. My eyes closed as I couldn't bear to see the glass smashed before my eyes. I waited to hear the shatter of glass. Instead I felt a strong force hit me and carry me back the way I'd fallen. My ears cleared and time resumed its normal pace.

Kisame shouted at me furiously. "You idiot! You nearly dropped it after all that?!" I saw the glint in his hands where he held the vial, safe. I let out a relieved sigh. "Kisame… you can put me down you know." "Yeah I know." Kisame lowered me to the branch as he landed.

The man tucks the vial into a pocket in his cloak where it would never escape or break. The man nodded to me, a tense grin on his lips. "Despite that miracle, we have to hurry." I felt such relief it couldn't be put into more words than that.

Kisame motioned for me to hurry up as he began to move once more. I closed my eyes and took a single deep breath before shooting after him.

-!-

Is this really death?

Her lips, even as they moved, were swollen from her biting them in worry. Her eyes were puffy and pink from her wasted tears. The blue in her eyes changed colors with her emotions. Her pain shined in the orbs just as the thought of loss clouded them grey. I watched her creased eyebrows tighten and relax as she leapt through her stories. Every now and then she lost herself in her own words and seemed like her old self. She seemed happy. That face never lasted long, though.

My mind wrapped around the vision of her face as my ears clung desperately to her voice. Her cool fingers brushed away the hair on my forehead as she pet my head soothingly. The cloth she had washed out so many times lay at her side, soaked. My head was braced in her lap like on a pillow.

Her fingers brushed through my hair again and lingered on my forehead where I knew she felt my fever. The ice of her skin pressed lightly to my temples and to the nerves as she massaged them ever so carefully. I memorized every touch. The pattern in her movements was hypnotizing.

The pain came and went with long intervals of the agony and short gaps of relief. I was in one of the long strands of that wretched pain now. I listened to her words. They were my only hope of staying sane. "We moved around a lot. My dad had a weird job and we were sent all over the place. I met new people and became friends with them just in time to leave again. It was hard. But then again, this place is harder."

I lifted a hand and pressed her cold fingers to my forehead. She leaned down and pressed her lips to my hand. I asked through the onslaught of agony, "How did an angel end up in the kind of world?" She frowned, ignoring my compliment as she always did, and looked hesitant to speak before nodding. "I was going to soccer practice with Drew. I saw a huge truck coming at us from behind. The driver passed out, of course… and I jerked the wheel to the side. We hit a tree. I thought I was dead, but somehow I ended up here."

Her eyes held pain. My own body coursed with the shivers of misery. I whispered out in what I figured sounded like a croak, "Morgan… ah… If I die… Sasuke… I want you to…" Cool fingers pressed to my lips. "Be quiet. I don't want to hear that." I groaned through her fingers. "Please… there is more after this… I promise…" She looked unsure but nodded. Her fingers trailed over my cheeks. "Yes?"

I managed to get out of my mouth, "If I die… I want you to go to Sasuke..." Her face screwed up in confusion. "What do you want me to do with him?" I smiled at her, woe etched on my cheeks. "I want you to _**stay**_ with him. Don't let the Akatsuki keep you. Madara will definitely… if I am not there…" She smiled. "I will go see Sasuke. I can't promise to stay with him… I am not on favorable terms with him myself, but…" I felt the humor in her voice. I knew she understood.

Anguish faded as the wave slowed, and I felt the solace of being free for a few moments. I sat up and faced her on my knees. She look into my eyes, asking without words what it was that I wanted to say. I felt the ache of my last words on my lips. I knew if I said them that I would give up. I knew if I told her all the things I wanted to tell her, I would let go and die. I swallowed those words that clamored to escape and hid them in my chest.

"Morgan. Rest a little. I'm not giving up." She glared and straightened her back. "I am not tired!" I smiled, painfully I knew, but it was a smile. "Just relax." Morgan tried to argue with me. I silenced her as I pressed my forehead to hers. "I will be fine." She replied determinedly, "I am not going to go to sleep!" I felt a chuckle escape from my chest, bringing the new wave of pain with it.

A huge explosion from ahead shattered the rest of my laugh. I felt a change in myself. Morgan watched me, scared. "Itachi? Are you okay?! What's going on?!" My trembling fingers found their way to my chest. I felt the pain there and my eyes widened.

Morgan cursed as I was pushed back to the ground. A tear from her face fell to my cheek. I didn't understand what was happening just then. I only knew that something was different. That was, until my vision began to blur and go dark. Then I knew something was definitely very wrong. She screamed my name three times before I lost consciousness. I knew then what was wrong. I was having a heart attack. My heart was working so hard to keep me alive… that it had stopped altogether… I was going to die without telling her everything…

And then there was nothing.

End Song: Ghost by Blue Foundation


	134. Chapter 134

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 134**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Itachi's POV - "A Life in Her Shoes"

"Shit…" I cursed aloud. The black wrapped around at every edge in sight. The sensation of falling pressed in on all sides. I had the strange feeling of having my feet above my head. I managed to twist around so my feet were beneath me, belting out a string of curses. I was definitely moving, falling. I could feel the wind rushing by me and whistling in my ears.

I reached out a hand for something to hold on to. My fingers snagged around an outcropping of what I imagined to be… rock? My arm screamed in protest as my full weight was held only by my fingers, stopping my abrupt descent. My right foot found a grip and I turned to hug the cliff wall. My eyes narrowed at the invisible wall I was clinging to. I could see nothing. It felt as though I was in some strange and foreign dream.

My eyes shifted beneath me to the black abyss before trailing back up to the area above me. Either way or in any direction, all I saw was black. I cursed again as the fingers on one hand slipped from their grip, throwing me off balance, and I rushed to find a new grip before I was sent plummeting again. The weight pulling me down seemed to increase, but I held firm, reaching carefully for footholds. I stepped off of each one as I lowered myself slowly down.

Everything felt different and exotic. Gravity would suddenly shift or collapse and make me feel sick to my stomach. The places where I grabbed all seemed to be on some sort of strange-feeling wall. I knew I should grab onto it. I knew I could lash out and clutch onto these obstacles and hold on so tightly that my limbs would bleed. These obstacles were all that were between me and the bottom of this seemingly endless cavern.

Even in my confusion, I knew what lay at the bottom of this cavern. The only thing that waited at the bottom of my fall was death. All the same… I wanted to see the black bottom more than I had the will to climb back up the steep cliff to wherever I had come from.

Above me abruptly appeared a light. It was such a dramatic change to the scene that I paused on the last step before the abyss to stare at it. The bottom was pitch blackness. The sky was the blue of chakra. I knew then that this chakra was coming for me. I didn't know what possessed me to want to see the bottom. I stepped off of the last hook and hurtled down into the dark depths.

The chakra above me acted as a light. Now the world was lit in shades of soft blue. I could finally see where I was. To my left, as I plummeted, was a rocky cliff. Sticking out of the stone were objects, seemingly placed there at random. Above me was the sky of chakra. To my right was nothing but empty space, and below were spikes. My eyes narrowed as they narrowed on the strange formations. Something was different.

These were not normal spikes at all.

I glanced back to the rushing chakra above me, checking how close it was to me. It was almost upon me. I decided then that I wanted to discover what was so strange about these spikes. I shook my head to end the last thoughts of being saved as I aimed for the largest and tallest spike.

I met spike before I met chakra. My right foot plunged into the point of the first spike. I watched in awe and horror as the spike gave away like water.

"What?!"

A splash formed around my legs as I slipped into the illusion of a spike.

The chakra caught up to me then. It latched around my torso and yanked upwards and away from the lake of strange illusions. The spike, as I watched it, grew and moved from my right leg to engulf all of my body in an instant.

I was sucked down. I was pulled into the illusion. My eyes were wide as I took in everything that passed before my eyes. Things were moving slowly, as if in slow motion. I saw a bubble leave my mouth as I gasped. Reflected in the bubble was my face and expression. I looked dumbstruck, as though I had seen something divine for the first time. And as I stared, my face began to change little by little, until the bubble slid from view, as if I was sinking in the lake.

The sensation on my skin was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, like falling out of water, yet sinking at the same time. As I neared the bottom of the lake, I fell from it. Instead of water I was falling through air. Instead of awe I felt agony.

Earth met my face as suddenly even as I took in the changes in my environment. And then, everything was still. I lay perfectly straight on the ground, eyes clenched shut, afraid to see what was around me now. Morgan's chakra, I noticed now, touched my face and crawled over my skin like a breathing animal. It had latched on to me a fraction of a second before I had fallen into the lake.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" I opened my eyes at the strange voice. What was going on? I felt a hand on my shoulder as I was lifted up to my feet. My eyes squeezed shut tightly before blinking slowly. A sharp gasp left my lips as I took in the world around me. Everything around me looked different. The man who lifted me up looked like no other person I had ever seen before.

He stood a foot taller than me, not quite as tall as Kisame but, all the same, had an intimidating look about his strange figure. His face was all color and had a soft sort of shape to it, like nothing I'd seen in my whole life.

I blinked and backed away from him in shock. The scenery was just as strange. It in itself was a lot more like my world than the man in front of me. The detail in the world around me was so much more different than it had been above the lake. Even through this, the person was what shocked me the most.

His rough, deep voice demanded, "Are you okay? That car just hit you. Can you see straight?" I slowly shook my head in confusion. "Car?" He pointed behind me. On the black road behind my shoulder, I saw a huge metal beast. It resembled something I had seen Morgan draw once. I took it in numbly, beginning to drown in all the shock.

The man walked over to me, looking me over briefly. "My name is Jason and I am a paramedic. Can you tell me your name?" "Paramedic?" I muttered. He pointed his fingers over his shoulders to a huge box-like 'car' thing. "I ride in the back of that to help people who were hurt like you." I nodded, understanding somewhat.

His face was plump with puffy cheeks. Thick dark eyebrows conquered his face, quirking over familiar blue eyes. A bent nose, once having recovered from being broken long ago, was a major feature on his face. He wore a mustache just under his nose. All in all, he looked like a straightforward and caring person.

"Can you tell how many fingers I am holding up?" 'Jason' asked. I nodded and gave him the answer. He ran his hands over my body. I felt a strong wave of déjà vu. I didn't understand where the feeling originated from. Seemingly satisfied with my physical condition, he looked back up at me. "What is your name?" I raised an eyebrow. Why didn't he know who I was? "Itachi… Itachi Uchiha." He nodded nonchalantly. "How old are you?" "Twenty two." "Where do you live?" "I used to live in Konoha." He frowned. "Never heard of it. Is that in Japan? Are you Japanese?" I blinked once more for the thousandth time since laying eyes on this man. He gave an embarrassed smile in return. "Never mind… You seem fine if not a little confused."

Someone else ran up from behind us. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you with my car!" I looked up. She had worried eyes and calmed slightly from her panic when she saw me look at her. "You just appeared out of nowhere! It was like you fell from the sky!" Jason nodded to her, then looked back to me. "We were driving by. You were just… there all of a sudden." I shook my head, pushing away the confusion that threatened to overwhelm me. "I'm sorry…?"

Jason snickered before turning away. "Alright then, let's go." I frowned, taking a hesitant step towards him. "Where are we going?" He glanced back at me and shrugged. "I am supposed to take people like you to the hospital, but seeing as you don't seem to be from here or remember much at all about yourself, we'll head back to the base." The first thing that came to mind was the Akatsuki Base.

The man let me lean on him as he lead me to the box-shaped 'car'. A section of the side opened to reveal chairs secured to the bottom. He opened a door to the front, where another man was sitting. The man looked me over curiously. "Name's Shawn. You want us to take him back to Home Base, Jason?" Jason nodded, turning to sit in the chair to Shawn's right. "Yeah. Let's get going." The man called Shawn bobbed his head and turned a lever inside the 'car'. 'Cars' amazed me.

I heard a huge roar and had to close my eyes not to yelp or cuss as the whole contraption lurched. We moved forward and onto the street. I watched in wonder as the world flew by us. It was faster than a carriage or a boat. We were soaring over the black earth as hordes of 'cars' passed by us.

Morgan's chakra tickled my ear and my hand moved reflexively to touch it. It moved over my fingers like a warm breath. It was comforting. I could imagine her voice in my ear. For a second, I thought I heard her voice say, "Jason?" I pushed it back as my imagination.

I didn't know where the time went, but eventually the 'car' pulled up to a building. Jason opened the door and I hopped out. A tiny little squat woman walked up from the building. "Your shift's over, Jason. Get gone before I kick you out!" Her voice was light and her tone cheery. She was joking with him. He smirked, leaning in to give her a one-armed hug. "More like I'll get whacked with your walking stick." She glared playfully and punched his broad shoulder, having to stand on her toes to do so.

Jason motioned me forward then. "Let's go, uh… Itachi?" I nodded. He pointed to a bright red 'car' with a long back end. I had seen several like that one on the road. He sighed, rolling his neck as he walked towards it. "This one is my truck. Hop in on the right and we'll get going." I quickly moved to do as he said. "Where are we going now?" "I guess I can take you home with me. Our room renter is out visiting his home country for a few days. You can stay until he gets back."

I nodded and slipped into the chair beside him as I shut the door. He turned a key and the 'car' rumbled to life. As we flew over a busy road, he glanced over to me curiously. "So, are you married?" I felt a blush creep over my cheeks. "N-No!" He smirked, realizing my red cheeks meant something. "So you have a girl, then. What's her name?" I looked out of the window and smiled slightly. "Her name's Morgan." He was silent. I looked back at him and saw him staring with a stunned expression. "Well how about that? That's my daughter's name!" He looked back at the road slowly. "She's not with us anymore though. We still visit sometimes."

I blinked (and boy, was I doing that a lot since waking up here), raising an eyebrow. "Where did she go?" Jason smiled sadly, glancing away from the road and back to me. "She… well. Maybe I'll take you to see her sometime…"

End Song: Ghost by Blue Foundation


	135. Chapter 135

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 135**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

"A Life in Her Shoes" Part 2

"Where did she go?"

"She… well… Maybe I'll take you to see her sometime…"

I saw the pain in his eyes, and decided that I knew enough about his daughter. Definitely time to change the topic. "Do you have family?" He nodded. "I have plenty of family around here. My wife and son live at home with me. The others are scattered around here and there." I bobbed my head in thought. "How old is your son?" "He turned fourteen just a few months ago. They grow so fast." I smiled, feeling a brief flash of my own pain. "He's almost as old as my brother then."

Without him needing to ask the question, I continued. "My family is all dead but for my brother… He's fifteen now." "Where is he?" Jason asked curiously. I looked away, out the window at the trees flashing by. "Sasuke lives on his own… We don't get along. He lives with different people each time I see him." The doctor-who-rides-in-box-car/truck-and-saves-hurt-people seemed to understand.

I glanced around the 'truck' and found a small book in the space to my left. "Can I look at that?" Jason nodded. I lifted it up and opened what I thought was the front page; I quickly realized that this was the back of the book.

My eyes widened once more in shock. These letters… they were different from mine back home. They were in lines from left to right instead of up and down. And yet I could read them. I read aloud, "Property of Jason… " The last name was smudged until I couldn't read it. Jason snickered. "That's me."

I felt the truck come to a stop and glanced up. Jason smiled as he shut the 'car' off. "Home sweet home. Come on in." I stepped out and followed him up to a one-story house unlike any I had ever seen before. The door opened as we neared it. A woman with warm eyes and worry wrinkles noticed me immediately. "So you bring another one home?" Jason nodded wryly. "He seems a lot like the other one." The woman smiled and turned to me. "Hello there!" She patted my shoulder with a grin. "So the one day Jason has to work overtime, he brings another mouth to feed with him!" I quashed the sudden urge to blush, choosing instead to quickly look her over. She, as much as Jason, seemed familiar. I still could not get over the changes that everything had gone through. The people looked like aliens to me.

A bright, long, yellow 'car-truck', longer than most I had seen, pulled into the path behind where Jason's 'truck' was waiting. The amazing variety of 'cars' was incredible. The doors opened and a boy stepped out. His face was just losing the baby fat. He was thin, but you could tell by looking at him he used to be larger. He wore a grey-blue shirt, dark pants, and carried a black backpack on his shoulders.

He stopped beside me. His eyes measured me with eyes that lit with something like realization. "Hey dad, is he another one?" The man nodded. "His name is Itachi." The boy nodded as he pointed to Jason. "I'm his kid." I smiled at the boy. He felt familiar just as the other two did. I wished I understood what was going on.

I was allowed entrance to the house at last. I felt remorse for some strange reason as I was shown the house. I was led around the house before being shown a bathroom. Jason let me in and closed the door behind me. I moved over to the sink.

My shoulders began to shake as my composure finally cracked a little. "What's going on…? I don't understand…" Morgan's chakra smoothed around my neck. I wished I was back with her. I turned on the water and plugged the sink. As it filled with cold water, I lowered my forehead until it was lying on the counter. The sounds of bustle in the kitchen told me that Jason was cooking.

This was all too much. "What is going on?!" Unsurprisingly, the sink did not reply. It all hit me as I was left alone without anything new. My fingers curled into my hair. Where am I?! What is happening to me?! Is this some sort of dream?! "Is this a dream?" I asked myself in disbelief. I shuddered and touched the chakra around my neck. "Morgan…"

The sink was full. I stopped the water and splashed it on my face. I breathed in the liquid and choked, lowering my face into the water. _I wasn't waking up._ I shuddered in shock and confusion. "What's going on?!" I growled into the water, rising up until I was hovering just above the water. Ripples decorated the water as I loomed above it.

The water cleared. I could see my reflection.

"Shit!" I jerked back and away from the water. I landed harshly against the counters on the opposite side. My face was even clearer in the mirror on the wall. I shuddered and could feel my breaths coming in gasps. My appearance had changed. I no longer looked like myself. I looked like the man called Jason… and the man called Shawn… and the others I had seen. I no longer looked like the man I had seen in the mirrors before.

My black hair shone in the strange lights. The black now shone with a slightly maroon tint. My skin was pale and dripping with water. My widened eyes were a dark color. They seemed black, but had flecks of brown in them. That was the biggest shock. There was not a trace of blood on my face from my disease. No blood came from my eyes. But even through the change, I could still pick out points on my face that told me I was the same person. I blinked in awe, hesitantly reaching up towards the still-clearly-defined lines on my cheeks.

Jason knocked on the door, startling me into freezing my hand's ascent. "Itachi, the food's ready." I took in another shaky breath and told him that I would be there in a moment. I touched my face as I stepped closer to the mirror. What was going on?! Why did I look like this?! Where am I?! I didn't remember unplugging the sink or opening the door and stepping into the hallway that led to the dining room.

I sat with a sigh at the only open seat. The woman set a plate before me. It felt nostalgic. The noodles were shaped like tubes. The sauce was white with black speckles in it. The taste was just as familiar. Everything was so strange.

I was asked questions again. The first came from the boy. "Do you know our renter?" I blinked in confusion, was he talking about the 'other one' from earlier? "No… I don't think so." He nodded and asked, "Where are you from anyway?" "… Japan?" Jason smiled. The woman looked up, also curious. "Family?" I went through and told them all again about Sasuke and my family. She seemed sympathetic.

Suddenly Jason smiled. "He's got a girl though." The woman looked giddy. "What's her name?" I felt Morgan's chakra flow over my skin as I replied, "Morgan…" The boy raised an eyebrow. "So what does she look like? I mean, you look good enough. Does she fit you? She has the same name as my sister so she has to have some looks." I coughed slighly at the blunt questions. The others waited, smiling. Well, if this was a dream… I saw no harm in talking to my imagination. "She's beautiful." They all smiled, and the woman cooed at me.

The boy waved his hand, gesturing for more information. "What does she do that you like? I mean, my girlfriend is really pretty and can draw…" I glanced to him and muttered quietly, "She cooks… and cleans… and…" Jason smirked. "You don't have to feel embarrassed!" I blink, trying desperately to untie my tongue with no luck. "She's… very smart." They all nodded and, thankfully, left it at that.

I finished eating with my eyes on my lap. No one bothered to interrupt my thoughts.

I was led down the hall by Jason. He pointed to each of the doors. "This is my son's room. This is the room we have rented… and this…" he stopped and opened a door.

"This was my daughter's room. You can stay here. Our exchange student probably wouldn't like you touching his things." I nodded as he shut the door, leaving me alone. I knew better than to mess with any of his family's things.

I moved slowly around the room as I examined the things on the shelves, letting my mind wander over my questions. I felt the need to look around, maybe something in here would tell me something. Trophies were covered in dust. Figurines and books cluttered the shelves. My fingers passed over the books as I read a few titles. I came to realize that she had preferred fairy tales. I took one down and flicked through a few pages before returning it to its place on the shelf.

Then I came across a book on the top of a dresser. The word "Memories" decorated the cover. It, like all the others, was backwards, written from left to right. I shook my head at the strangeness of things. I opened the cover. Pictures stretched out before me. I took the book into my lap and sat on the bed. Page after page flipped by as a little girl aged slowly with each photograph.

I felt another wave of déjà vu hit as I saw three people in a picture at the very back, a cartoon beneath it. I didn't bother to look at the cartoon just yet. The three in the picture were the same age as the little boy who lived in this house now. My eyes widen. The first girl wore headphones around her neck like a choker, she did not seem familiar. The second boy had a dark hair and a Mist headband over his brow. It was the final girl, though, that sent a jolt through my heart.

Her blond hair was split down the middle as two long pieces of straight hair flowed down her cheeks just in front of her ears. The hair was pinned back in a curly, frizzy ponytail. Bright blue eyes flashed cockily at the camera. Pale skin gleamed in the sunlight. I saw a Sand Village head band hanging from her neck loosely.

I dropped the picture book onto the bed and stepped away from it. My fingers curled around Morgan's chakra. "What is going on?!" Morgan was in that picture. I recognized her now. Before, she had been posing for academy pictures and seemed like any other young child from this world. Now, as she posed goofily with the genuine smile on her lips, I knew it was her. This was all Morgan. The Morgan I knew lived in this room once upon a time.

My eyes moved to the cartoon beneath it. In a youth's hand was written, " **Today I read that Itachi died in the manga. I was so sad that I threw my manga down on the floor and screamed. It hurt a lot, I guess. He was my favorite character. I wished I could have warned him. I bet I could have saved him… Deidara and Sasori too…"**

My dreams were becoming like everything Morgan had told me.

I stepped back and ran from the room. Jason accidentally moved in front of me from another room, confused. "What's going on?" I skidded to a stop as I scrambled for an explanation. "I…I just remembered… I'm sorry, I…" He moved aside and I began to run. "I have to go! I have to leave!" He nodded as I dashed out of the house and into the street.

Morgan's chakra whipped around me like a whirlpool. I felt a pull as I was caught and dragged upward and into the sky. I yelped in shock and confusion. The sky encircled me and became that shocking blue. It was not the blue of sky, but the blue of chakra. I was lifted up and up by the chakra as it wrapped around me.

I felt the feeling of being pulled through water. I heard a splash and I breathed for the first real time. I saw Morgan's blue chakra all around me. I looked down even as I was being lifted and saw the 'water' settle in ripples to appear once more like spikes. The lake became smaller and smaller. The cliff flew by me as I shot up in the arms of chakra.

I felt a pain in my chest as I jerked awake at last. I opened my eyes and looked straight up into the eyes of the girl I loved, the girl whose world I had just seen. She was breathing hard, tears falling from her face. "I did it, Itachi! I brought you back!" She hugged me tightly to her. "You were dead, Itachi… Your heart stopped. I did all I knew how to do… And you came back! My god!"

I blinked in shock. I was back in my world with Morgan? What had just happened? I did not really need to know. I had an answer: I had dreamt of the world Morgan came from. Because of her words, I dreamt of her life and her family. I breathed hard as my heart pumped wildly in my chest. I pressed her to me. Nothing had made sense there, but now I understood… My mind had tried to cope with the things she had told me… and it had changed how I saw things. Strange dreams!

I frowned as I held her to me, but pushed the strange thoughts away. I did not need dreams like that. I was far from dead. I was alive and in her arms. I wonder if the Death Angel felt embarrassed now that he had been cheated once more.

End Song: With Me by Sum 41


	136. Chapter 136

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 136**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

...

I knew the instant they died.

In that moment, my heart ceased beating. I felt my eyes widen until they could no longer become any larger. My vision tinted black about the edges and rims. The lungs within my chest choked on a breath causing me to strangle on it. The wave of pain that shredded at me now was monstrous.

I felt Itachi's eyes on my face as he gawked in shock at me. He appears to have realized the bulk of the tragedy through the expression on my face and inside my orbs. I felt his hands on my shoulders as he attempts to shout something. I can't hear him. Every part of my body has simply forgotten how to work.

-!-

Morgan stared blankly in a daze, as though she was looking through me instead of at me. Her eyes opened wide and I ceased to feel her breath on my lips. She choked slightly but didn't move. She never moved. Tears fell from her eyes without even the expression on her face morphing as her skin drained pale.

I reached forward quickly and locked onto her shoulders. "Breathe! You have to breathe!" I shook her hard. Still she stared at me blankly. I glared and demanded of her, "Breath, you idiot!" I pushed her back onto the rough ground. Her eyes were bugged out. "Snap out of it!" I hissed, gritting my teeth as I felt the beginning of yet another wave of pain from my disease. "Morgan, wake up!"

I pressed her shoulders to the ground again in a last attempt. My disease had wrapped its claws around my mind and I was beginning to fade back into the inks of blacks and grays. "Crap… wake up… I'm going to… pass out… Wake up." I reached out clumsily as the wave hit me hard. I touched her face as I fell into myself. As I slumped forward, I managed to mutter, "If you don't wake up, I'll die too." And I passed out.

-!-

I watched as Itachi pushed me to the ground. I noticed his lips move but I could not understand him. My vision went black and I saw nothing. My mind agonized, fixed around the fact that Hidan and Kakuzu were dead. I was pained and horrified.

They had been my friends.

Both of them had been my friends. We had spent so many missions together. Those missions were almost unbearable to try and remember right now. Hidan was loud and talkative, Kakuzu was reserved and angry at the world and all who inhabited it. The two made a good pair.

The twangs of agony in my chest rattled and trashed like an injured animal. Hidan had died first, Kakuzu following a half second later.

In my world, I remembered how they died. Shikamaru had outsmarted them with Kakashi's help. Now he had been without Kakashi, only serving to further prove that Shikamaru Nara was a genius. I knew that even if he had been fighting alone, he could have found an answer before Hidan could even lift his scythe. Hidan and Kakuzu were no match for him. I had known that so very long ago.

The sensation of being dizzy without moving revived my senses a little. I attempted to remain conscious and within myself. Then my lungs ceased to work. My heart had long since paused its beating. My ears refused to hear or comprehend. My eyes could not see as the black dipped darker. I knew if I didn't breathe I would, just as Sasori, Hidan, and Kakuzu had, die.

I could still think though. That ability never left me even once.

I recalled then what I had traded these two friends for. I had handed them directly to death for Itachi. I shoved that thought out of my mind immediately, and thankfully something else came to the forefront of my jumbled thoughts. Itachi had said that he was going to pass out.

That meant more things than I could count.

I jerked up and felt my heart thrash once, twice, and three times before my lungs came alive to suck in the much-needed oxygen. I blinked as the black lightened and turned to see Itachi at my side, limp in unconsciousness. "Itachi!"

I crawled to his side and searched for a pulse. Finding one, I let out a breath of relief as I moved to lie down at his side. The incredibility of my life up until now hit me. I really was living in a crazy manga. The character is always getting almost killed. The other characters always get them out. I felt like I was in one of those, now more than ever.

My thoughts turned to my friends. The Akatsuki, originally having ten residents and nine true members, was now three short. Not considering Madi, that is. Sasori had already left me. And now Hidan and Kakuzu were gone as well. I would never see them again. I would never tell them that I was sorry for messing up. They were all dead now.

I felt the agony and tears well up in my eyes. Itachi was fighting to stay alive at my side. Madi and Kisame were desperately attempting to make it here in time to save Itachi. I didn't deserved to feel so tired. I was the one who had gotten them into this mess. It was my fault that they were dead. Itachi's life was in my hands until the medicine got here. It was up to me.

I brushed my fingers over his forehead, parting the hair away from his eyes. I wondered for a moment if it was all worth it. Was Itachi's life worth two of my friends'? I flinched at my own thoughts and bashed it until it was dead. Itachi was everything to me, and everything I had done was done to change his fate. I had tried to settle things with Sasuke. I had tried to lengthen his life so we could stay together.

Even now, as I tried to comfort him in his pain, I could remember all the things that I still had to do to keep him with me. I focused on the future. I would need to make sure Itachi and Sasuke never fought. I had to make sure Deidara never started a deadly war with Itachi. I had to make sure Madara never tried anything against Itachi. I had to do so many things.

I whispered to him, "Don't you dare die, Itachi. I have too many things that I have to do after that, too. So you can't die before I get them all done." Those sentences were more to talk to him than to get the ever-growing weight off my chest. He was awakening little by little at last. My voice would be the first thing he heard.

I moved my hand to caress his cheek. "I am here for you, Itachi. I am not going anywhere." He opened his eyes and noted with a flash of worry the tears on my face. He lifted a shaking hand to them and frowned. "I am so sorry…" I pressed his hand closer to my face with my other hand. "Don't be. It was my choice." He smiled painfully. "Morgan… can I give you another bit of my 'last words'?" I glared in distaste and dread. "Don't you dare. You will be fine. Madi and Kisame will be here any minute."

Itachi laughed weakly at that. "Morgan… You are as weak as I am. Neither of us can hang on forever." I closed my eyes to focus on his touch and let my tears roll over my cheeks unchallenged. "Don't say anything dreary. I don't think I can stand to hear you say anything like that." Itachi Uchiha smiled.

I opened my eyes and glanced at him. "What would you do if I died before you?" He frowned and smiled at me grimly. "I would not live long myself." I glared at him. "Idiot!" He smiled. I asked again, "What would you do if we both died and went to different places?" Itachi smiled again as he tried to keep his eyes open. "I'd crawl and battle up from the devil's pit and climb up to heaven to see you." I smiled slyly. "What if it was the other way around?" "I would not stay in heaven." I smiled, turning my head and looking up at the sky. "Well, maybe we will both be in heaven."

"And maybe you two idiots should stop talking about death!"

Itachi's eyes struggled open and my eyes darted to the two newcomers. Madi and Kisame skidded to a halt beside me. Madi looked relieved and amazed to see Itachi awake. Kisame watched his partner in utter shock. Itachi gave him a look and shrugged. "She wouldn't let me die." Kisame glared but knelt down with the shot of medicine.

I watched as the needle entered Itachi's arm. His eyes closed in relief. He laid motionless, even after the needle left his skin, with his eyes clenched. I gazed and waited for any sign that things were going badly. Instead, Itachi opened his eyes and smirked. "Looks like we cheated the Death Angel again." I smiled and weakly punched the air in victory. "I love loopholes in contracts!" Kisame gave us both looks like he was questioning our sanity. "Do what?"

We both laughed. We were both alive.

I felt a tightness grip my chest. "The others." Kisame looked on worriedly as I stood. My eyes were trained on the area the explosions had been resonating from. "I have to go," I said, fighting the tremor in my voice. Madi looked to Itachi as the medicine continued to set in. Kisame nodded to her. "I will stay with Itachi. You two go on."

I didn't remember leaving the clearing. My mind was focused on two things, two people. My mind at the moment in time was dedicated to Hidan and Kakuzu.

-!-

The area was barren and dusty. No life could prosper in this death zone. I remembered this place from the manga. I never remembered how I got here. I only remembered arriving. The sight of someone's blood on the ground forced me to close my eyes, if only for a moment.

"I don't see anything… Where is the fight?" Madi whispered behind me. I smiled painfully and turned my head slightly to look back at her. "Hidan and Kakuzu have died, Madi." Her eyes widened impossibly. I laughed a little hysterically, turning back to face the clearing. "I chose to stay with Itachi instead of going to them. So they died."

I felt drawn forward. I felt the pull of something on my body. The clearing passed me by as I walked. My eyes were trained on a single spot on the ground, determined to get me there. There, lying on the ground, I gently retrieved Kakuzu's ring. The color shined in the light.

The ring on my own finger seemed to fade as I touched Kakuzu's ring. The kanji for 'North' shone out to me. I frowned as I put my Innocence ring into my pocket. The new ring slid onto my finger with ease. That was it. I was now Akatsuki. It was as easy as that.

I watched as Madi walked over to me, gawking at the ring on my finger. I frowned at her odd look. "It is only natural. It's all I can do for him. Where is Hidan's?" Madi looked around but saw nothing, frowning. "I don't know where to start looking…" I glanced to the ground.

My right hand with the new ring moved up and curled into the shirt at my chest. I closed my eyes tightly. This hurt. This was the pain of losing someone. I was beginning to know this pain very well.

I heard the crush of a foot on ground and glance up. Itachi, with his right arm wrapped about Kisame's neck, caught my eyes. He held his hand palm up.

Hidan's ring lay in Itachi's palm.

I watched my friend carefully. "Madi… that is yours now." Her eyes widened as she stared at it. I could practically hear her mind as it raced. I had been with the Akatsuki longer, and yet we were becoming members at the same time. I closed my eyes and gently gripped her shoulder. "It is rightfully yours. Take it." Madi accepted the ring with only slight hesitation from Itachi.

I closed my eyes even tighter as I turned my back to them. All this pain. Would it ever end? Would I always lose someone? Sasori left me a while back, and now these two were gone as well. Why did they all die? Was it because of the bad things they did? Were they sentenced to death because they were deemed 'evil'? Or was all of this just for Masashi Kishimoto to fill the plot with? Oh, how it hurt to think all of this. It hurt so very much.

I gritted my teeth and turned back to my comrades. I had to be brave. I had to be strong. Itachi was not dead. I had been made Akatsuki. I was something I had trained to be for so very long, it seemed. And yet… I could not be proud of my new accomplishments thanks to this pain.

In order to enter the Akatsuki, you must know great pain. In order to join, you had to feel the agony in yourself.

As soon as I had realized that, I wondered what it was in reality that made this organization so strong. Of course the members had strength, but people so different don't normally mesh well enough to work together for any cause.

It seemed so obvious to me now, standing with them in this dusty clearing. They all knew this same pain that I felt now, now that I was truly Akatsuki.

Now I knew enough pain to wear the ring.

End Song: Pain by Jimmy Eats World


	137. Chapter 137

**~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~**

 **Chapter 137**

Theme Song: Comatose by Skillet

Dreams

"Oi, wake up, Morgan! Hurry up! We have to leave soon so wake up!" I groaned as I opened my eyes. Hidan's wide grin filled my vision, and I battled my way up. Kakuzu sighed. "Don't scare her." Hidan muttered at his old partner in aggravation, "But I won't get to anymore after this…" I blinked up at the two as they loomed over me.

Hidan flashed his grin back at me. "I can see why you'd pick your man over us. I mean, who doesn't want someone like that?" His eyes gleamed with mirth as he smirked. I shook my head slowly, still wondering if I was dreaming. "But… you two are dead…" Kakuzu rolled his wrist as he sighed. "Yeah, Hidan's a bit confused too. His God or whatever just let him die." Hidan looked upset. "I must have done something wrong. Well anyways, I'm dead too." For some reason, he gave me a peace sign.

I stood and Hidan planted his hands on his hips in a very girly manner as he chuckled. "Man, I wish I could have made the wedding. You know I'd be the one to sneak in and see your dress." I raised an eyebrow in confusion. Kakuzu let out a breath sharply, shooting a pointed look at his teammate. "Don't mind him. He was dead set on seeing you and Itachi tie the knot." I blushed hard, with even my ears flaming up.

Hidan glanced up to the sky. "Well, this wasn't enough time at all. Come on, five more minutes!" Kakuzu stated matter of factly, "We need to get more to the point, idiot." Hidan sighed and raised his arms defeatedly. "I don't see the rush. I mean, if we are dead _now_ we'll still be dead in five more minutes."

Kakuzu ignored him while Hidan continued his complaining. "Yeah, so. We're dead. We are supposed to give you our last words. I gave you my ring. Those are last words enough for me. Hidan, on the other hand, has something else to say."

Hidan walked over and planted his hands on my shoulders. "If you get the chance, get out of Akatsuki." I blinked in shock. I didn't understand. He smirked, "You and Itachi should get out while you can. Even I can see that neither of you are interested in Pein's 'World Domination' scheme. You'll be happier out of there."

I tilted my head in confusion. "But why didn't you get out?" Hidan laughed and ruffled my hair. "It suited my religion." I frowned more, my mind hurtling back through my time here. "This is like when Sasori died." "That would explain a few things," Kakuzu muttered. "Well, come on Hidan. We only have half a minute left."

Hidan smirked and grabbed my shoulder in a one-arm hug. "Okay then. The last words you will ever hear from my throat in this world will be…" He paused, grinning evilly as he planned something. "…Use protection~!"

I blinked in shock as he backed away, elbowed Kakuzu in the side, winked at me, and was gone. Kakuzu sighed and shrugged. "He just had to add in his two bits. Well… see you, Morgan." I watched as Kakuzu turned and began to walk into the white. _No, wait. Not yet._ "Wait!" He turned. "Yeah?" "So… are you going to heaven or hell?" He smirked. "Neither. Now wake the heck up, idiot." And they were both gone, forever.

-!-

The blackness wrapped around my mind as I felt the dizzy waves of first waking up after a twisted dream. I groaned softly as I stretched and attempted to sit up. A hand pressed to my shoulder. "Just hold still, okay?" I nodded to Itachi's voice and let him pull me into a sitting position.

I was lying on a cart with Itachi on my right, staring up at the ceiling. A voice I didn't know asked, "So the girl is up?" I looked up and spotted the man who was driving the cart. He looked like a drunk with his messed up hair and bags under his eyes.

Itachi responded to this man's question. "She is." I turned and spotted Madi and Kisame walking behind us, carrying giant poles over their shoulders. "Where are we?" I asked in wonder. "Why are we on a cart? Who is he? Why are Madi and Kisame walking? What's going on?" Itachi sighed. "Well, in the order you asked… We are on a cart because you passed out and I was too weak to carry you and Samehada was trying to eat you and Madi dropped you. We found this guy, whose name is Ben, and he is a merchant. Madi and Kisame are walking because we are too weak to do so. And as for what is going on… We are hitching a ride."

"That has to be the most you've ever talked without breathing." Itachi blushed slightly and glared at him.

Madi called out, "Well, he just about had a heart attack when you passed out." I ran a hand over my face. "When did I do that?" Kisame smirked. "About three minutes after you put on the ring." I groaned. "Are you serious?" Itachi smiled ever so slightly.

I glanced to the wooden cart beneath me. "Does Pein know about the others?" Itachi bobbed his head neutrally. "Deidara and Tobi, as I have been told, are to meet you and Madi by noon tomorrow to take you on your first mission as a real Akatsuki team."

I frowned as I glanced to Madi. She, in return, gave me her most famous thumbs up. I grinned at her and asked playfully, "Sure you can stand to leave Kisame?" Both walking ninja blushed and looked away from each other. I giggled at their awkwardness. I noted Itachi's scanning eyes on my face. I decided not to really show that I could feel his gaze.

I shifted on the cart and looked back up to the driver, "So, where are you from? Thanks for the ride, by the way." He grinned as he turned away from the work horses to see me better. "I'm from Amegakure originally. After the Third War, I left to become a merchant. A better term would be 'moving drunkard', haha!" I nodded to him, still feeling Itachi's eyes still on my face.

I stretched my arms high above my head and asked, "Well, when are we getting off?" Itachi frowned. "Whenever you feel strong enough. My medicine finished kicking in a few hours ago." I smiled and hopped off of the cart. "Well, I feel great. Let's go!" His frown deepened but he also leapt off of the cart. Madi and Kisame dropped the man's merchandise back on the cart, and we all turned to leave.

The man turned back to wave at us. "Now you be good now!" I smiled and waved as he drove off. I sighed. "Now that we are alone… How long did I sleep?" Kisame shrugged. "About three hours. It wasn't too long." I smiled at him in thought.

Itachi broke his silence, looking me up and down with concern. "Are you okay?" I nodded and asked, "Why wouldn't I be?" Itachi sighed. "The others died. You were really upset before." I smiled, leaning my head briefly on his shoulder. "I can move on." I lifted a hand to my aching chest. "After all, those idiots wouldn't want any tears shed over them." Itachi sighed with a relieved smile on his lips. "Well said."

I felt everything set around us. Madi and Kisame were walking in front of us, leading the way. They were both smiling and laughing and joking with one another. Itachi walked beside me, both of us quiet and reserved. It felt kind of gradual as we just settled into place. It was like all four of us belonged like this.

I smiled painfully as I realized that and took Itachi's hand. He smiled as his fingers intertwined with mine. The act was rather simple, but the effect was great. I felt my spirits rise and I shouted at the pair in front of us. "Well don't you two look like a newlywed couple!" Madi blushed and stuttered, "D-Do not!" I giggled as Kisame tried to fight back. "Well you and Itachi are…" He turned and really looked at us. I felt my own blush creep over my cheeks as Kisame's eyes zeroed in on our intertwined hands. Itachi smirked and lifted our hands high into the air. "We never said we were hiding anything." Madi grinned.

Yeah… this was how the four of us belonged. We weren't just Akatsuki. We weren't just ninja. Maybe apart, we were different than this, but with the four of us together… we were our real selves.

When the four of us were together, Itachi and Kisame no longer had horrible pasts. I was not from a strange world, and Madi was not any more of a deadly fighter than a three year old. Scratch that… I knew several ninja who were deadly at age three… Ah, never mind. You get the point.

-!-

Deidara sighed as he whacked his hand against the tall grass around him. "I can't believe Hidan and Kakuzu would just die. I never really thought that they could." Tobi laughed. "That's just because you were too busy brushing your pretty girly hair to notice anyway!" "WHY YOU LITTLE! I'LL KILL YOU TOBI!" "EEEEEEHHHH! NO, NO, NO DEIDARA-SEMPAI!"

-!-

Pein dropped into his chair with a tired sigh. His fingers searched and found the bridge of his nose to fight away the coming headache. Konan watched, hovering in the doorway. "Pein? Nagato? Is there anything you want me to do?" He sighed and motioned for her to move closer.

She walked forward and sat on the corner of his desk. The man placed his hand on her thigh and sighed. "Things are only getting harder. We've lost three very quickly." "We've also gained two," Konan murmured. Pein grimaced while he shook his head. "It's not enough. For the plan to become a reality, we will need more." Konan frowned. "Well… won't more members loosen the bonds of the group? Any more people and it would be like when Morgan was brought here. Everything just abruptly changed."

Pein shuffled blindly through his papers and found the file he was looking for. "Hidori Morino…" Konan frowned deeply. "Isn't she the girl who attacked Morgan?" Pein nodded. "It is." "Why do you have her file?" Pein sighed and turned to her with tired eyes. "Itachi had it when he brought Morgan. I've never actually gone through it much to know anything about her." Konan raised a hand to the file gently. "Don't open it. I can already figure out your plan. Don't open the file." Pein nodded and slid the folder back into a drawer. "You are right, of course." "I know."

-!-

Deidara glared at Tobi as he hangs from the tree like a sloth. "Tobi, get down here." "No Deidara-sempai! You come up here!" Deidara growled, running a hand angrily through his hair. "Why are you more of an idiot when it's just you and me?!" Tobi cooed, swinging on his branch. "Because Deidara is the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world~!" Deidara glared. Tobi cooed again, "Oh no I'm blushing behind my mask, Deidara-sempai! I never thought you could affect me like this~!"

Deidara snapped. "TOBI GET YOUR GAY BUTT DOWN HERE SO I CAN BLOW YOU HALF WAY TO HOSHIGAKURE!" "NOOOOO! DEIDARA-SEMAPI IS GOING TO HURT TOBI!"

A random passerby paused and gave the duo a weird look. Deidara whirled around and glared menacingly at him. "You got a problem?!" The man looked startled. "Don't abuse your new friend Deidara!" Tobi called from above. Deidara turned and pointed angrily at Tobi. "SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE IDIOT!" Tobi whined, dramatically bringing a hand to his cheek. "Deidara-sempai hurts Tobi's feelings!" "I'LL HURT MORE THAN YOUR FEELINGS IN A MINUTE!"

The passerby-man sighed, turning to be on his way. "Girls are so temperamental nowadays…" Deidara turned and shouted at his retreating form, "I AM NOT A GIRL YOU OLD BAG!" Tobi giggled and shrugged. "Deidara-sempai is a woman now, we know." Deidara kicked the tree furiously. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU TOBI!" Tobi shrieked. "But we have to meet Morgan and Madi before I die!"

Deidara paused before sighing resignedly. "Well, I guess that is true. Come on so we can go." Tobi hopped down. "Can we talk about your past boyfriends, Deidara-sempai?" "TOOOOOOBIIIIII!" "EEEEEP!"

-!-

I closed my eyes as I laughed. This felt right. Even though Kakuzu and Hidan had left me, the world still turned. Even as I felt pain for the passing of my friends, I knew the sun would still rise and set. And with it and this perfect foursome of friends, I knew I could take the pain one day at a time.

KakuzuxHidan Death Saga END

End Song: When I Die by New Found Glory


End file.
